Immigration processes can be overwhelming and intimidating. Here's how I took control of my immigration process with these three simple steps.

1. How I took control of
my immigration
process!

2. The truth – immigration processes can be
overwhelming and intimidating. The process is
made even more frustrating if you can’t get answers
to your questions.

3. That’s exactly what I went through at my previous
job– no updates on my case, no answers to
questions on the forms I had to fill out, or the
documents that were required. I was anxious and
thoughts like – “what if my application does not
reach USCIS within the limited five- day lottery
window?” started haunting me. I decided to take
control because there certainly must be a better way
to do this and I’m sure there’d be many applicants,
just like me, who are going through this process.
Similarly, neither would my attorney appreciate his
inbox being flooded with tons of emails. Here’s how
I took control of my immigration process:

4. 1. Just ask: Yes, it’s that simple. I raised this
concern and emailed my HR as well as my
immigration attorney. The law firm immediately sent
me a link to the INSZoom Foreign National Portal
(FNP). A portal that was customized for me. I was
assigned tasks by my attorney like– the
questionnaires that I had to complete, the
documents that I had to upload, the forms that were
required to be reviewed and so on. The best part - I
was accountable for all these tasks as they came
with a due date. I knew exactly what was required
from me, my deadlines to complete these tasks and
how far are we in the application process. This was
great!

5. I was in my HR’s office to inform about this
change and guess what I learned - the law firm
also granted access of the Human Resources
Portal (HRP) to my organization’s HR. Just like
the FNP, this portal gave HR the ability to access
my profile, view documents that were required
from the organization end, check on my case
status, view and print documents and run
reports. This was a great streamlined process
for all the three –the HR, law firm and me. We all
were on the same page.

6. 2. Communicate: Recently, there have been many
changes and restrictions on immigration policies. We
no longer have the luxury to depend on guesswork.
While filling up forms for the application, I came across
questions that were confusing, had multiple answers,
but which one was the right one? I quickly sent an
email to the paralegal working on my case through the
FNP and, voilà, I had answers to all my questions. The
portals streamlined collaboration and communication
between all the three stakeholders. I would no longer
wait two weeks for an email response or an update on
my case, because the way I was accountable to get all
the details in on time, so were the paralegals
accountable to answer my questions. Every question
through the portal would give them a notification - just a
quick reminder that they must respond to me!

7. 3. Take control: My application got picked in the
lottery. To me this was a big deal because I had
never won a lottery or a lucky draw before. Few
months into the celebration, my application was hit
by the dreaded RFE (Request for Evidence)! But,
surprisingly, I was not nervous or anxious at all. The
way my initial visa application was handled– I took
control of the process, I was vocal about my worries,
I was accountable, stakeholders were proactive, and
all of us were brought on the same page with an
immigration software – INSZoom, which made
things transparent, open, clear and immediate for
me.

8. This is how I stepped up and took control, and now
it’s your turn! Taking control of my immigration
process gave me a sense of empowerment. As
Foreign Nationals, we have to think about –
obtaining visas, passports, taxes, OPT dates, work
permits and a host of other things. This is stressful
and overwhelming. This small window into my
immigration case might seem small but it went a
long way in reducing stress for me. And, guess
what, today I work for the same immigration
software – INSZoom.

9. If you have foreign nationals frequently asking you
questions like- “What’s happening with my case?”
“What documents are needed?” “What’s the
deadline of submitting my documents?” or if you
have your team of paralegals spending most of their
time responding to emails, then it’s time to get on
board with INSZoom Stakeholder Portals. Reach out
to us at sales@inszoom.com or 925-244-0600 X 1.
You can even request a free demo.