How My Family Got Our Visas
It's Quite a Story!
Last week, I talked about how my family came to the United States, and I promised to tell you the story of how we actually got our visas. So, get ready because this is one wild adventure!
My dad came to America in April of 2021. He wanted to bring us with him because he knew it wasn’t safe for us to stay in Afghanistan, but getting us out wasn’t so easy. You see, my dad was in the military—and that made things complicated. Military officers weren’t allowed to leave the country with their families. The government thought that if they went, they might not come back!
So, my dad needed special permission, and that meant convincing the president himself because he worked for him at the time.
That’s when his amazing friend, Will Silber, stepped in. Will talked to the Deputy Ambassador, who then contacted my dad’s boss, Mr. Hamdullah Mohib. Mr. Mohib talked directly to the president and convinced him to allow my dad to bring us to America. And guess what? The president said yes! To put this into simple words, it took my dad and Will four months to get that “yes.” Yes, four months!
But the challenges didn’t stop there.
The “yes” was there. The deputy ambassador was ready to sign off the visas. But there were hurdles. Everything was happening during the peak of COVID-19—when basically no one was working at the U.S. Embassy. The visa section was completely shut down. Like, lights off, doors locked, zero people! But Will wasn’t ready to give up. He called in a few friends to do him favors, and they secretly processed our visas behind the scenes. Total mission impossible vibes!
And now comes the funniest part of the whole thing.
Since Will couldn’t meet anyone in person because of COVID rules, he went to the top of a wall—yes, a real wall—and literally threw the visas down to my dad’s friend, who was waiting below like some kind of secret agent. I still imagine it in slow motion: the visas fluttering through the air like ninja stars while my dad’s friend leaps to catch them like it’s the Olympics. Thankfully, they didn’t get lost in the wind or land in a puddle!
Then, my dad’s friend picked them up and brought them to my uncle, who then brought them home safely.
This all happened while my dad was already in America, and his friends, Will in particular, were trying to get us out and send us to him.
But wait—there’s more.
When my dad’s friend finally got the visas, they decided to play a prank. He only sent my dad the two visas (for Wahab and Lutful Rahman) that had been initially declined for some odd reasons and said, “Yep, it looks like they all got rejected.” My dad nearly passed out. He looked like he’d seen a ghost. Then his friend laughed and sent him the photos of the real ones. My dad was so relieved… and maybe a little mad, too!
After that, we packed everything, moved in with our grandparents, and got ready for the trip. Finally, we flew out of Afghanistan and arrived safely in the United States!
Thanks for reading this week’s blog! If there’s anything you’d like me to write about next, just leave a comment. I love hearing your ideas!