Discrimination of Human Rights

I am a U.S. citizen who migrated from Nepal in 2002. I completed my foundational nursing program in Nepal. I came to the US for further education and settled here for better opportunities and a brighter future. I have been working in healthcare for more than 20 years. I have worked as a Registered Nurse for five years and a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner for 15 years.

In my life, seeing myself as a nurse practitioner has taken a predominant role compared to any other role I consider myself to have. The rationale behind this could be that the hours of my life I have spent working as an NP are probably more than the hours I have spent with my first child, who is 16 years old. If I am not wrong, this story will likely stay true to most working professional women.

My reason for writing this article is to highlight some important things for human beings, especially immigrants. Policies are in place to follow the law and ethical principles, morals, and human rights. The overarching goal of any organization, governmental or non-governmental, is to serve humanity for the right reasons.

My family lives in Nepal. My mom recently passed away. My dad is 78 years old and a retired pharmacist who has visited me several times. He hasn’t been here for the past ten years, and his tourist visa expired long ago. When my final dissertation defense date was confirmed, I requested a graduation invitation letter from my school and sent it to my dad to apply for a tourist visa.

When my dad submitted his visa application, he was given an interview date for March 2025. This was ridiculous. I was surprised to find out that there was a 12-month waiting list at the U.S. Embassy in Nepal. I was diligently working on my dissertation to complete my PhD. Still, there was no way I could confirm the dissertation completion timeline because of other external variables involved in the research. Or else, I would have requested my dad to apply for a visa last year.

I tried submitting my request as an emergency visit, but I discovered that the U.S. Embassy policy does not consider events like graduation ceremonies as an emergency. There are no mechanisms in place to review situations like this individually. Everyone is treated with a cookie-cutter approach.

So, What Does This Tell You?

If events like deaths and medical illnesses are considered as Emergency Travels,

Why are good events, like children's graduation, not considered Emergency Travel?

If we pay attention to bad events, why can we not pay attention to good events?

The parents who created us—don’t they deserve to be a part of the BIG event for their children, like graduation?

In my case, my parents worked extra hard to provide me with a good education. They were generous enough to pay my college tuition and make me a successful nurse so that I could embark on the healthcare journey. Today, when I walk down the aisle for my PhD graduation commencement, my dad will NOT be there. My mom will be watching from above. None of my siblings will be there.

Why do immigrants always pay such a high price for every achievement? Just because they came from a third-world country?

Why is the system so broken to uplift humanity?

Just because a parent belongs to a third-world developing country does not mean that they do not have the right to human emotions. They must swallow the pride they deserve to experience for their children. They are not allowed to participate in good events for their children.

It is a shame that the U.S. Embassy does not have policies regarding parents invited to attend their children’s graduation. These parents invest their lives in bringing a successful workforce to the U.S., and when it is time for them to see their kids soaring and making their dreams a reality, why aren’t they allowed to come?

We humans strive for the higher good by nurturing, encouraging, uplifting others, and creating a healthy environment. We can always revisit rules, regulations, laws, and policies to reform them to serve better.

There needs to be a better mechanism for assessing and evaluating different situations in the U.S. Embassy. I would appreciate it if an event like the Graduation Ceremony were considered Emergency Travel for parents who live miles away to come and participate in their children's noteworthy milestones.

Could you let me know if you are with me on this?

It is time for the U.S. Embassy to review its policies and change perspectives from a Global standpoint.

Not every individual from a third-world developing country is coming for the wrong reasons.

?