A long-planned entry to the U.S. goes differently than expected

Lien Pham first moved to United States from Vietnam in 2014 with her husband, Kevin. She met her husband for the first time in Vietnam after talking online for a few months. Together, they moved to South Korea for a short time, before moving back to Lien’s home country, and eventually deciding to make the move stateside. While in Vietnam, Lien spent a year going through the visa application process before being able to move to the US with Kevin, who is originally from Burlingame, California.

Lien’s first day was spent primarily in the San Francisco Airport, where she was thoroughly questioned by immigration officers, and in Burlingame, California, where Kevin was from. She spent about a month in California before moving Woodinville, Washington with Kevin and his father. After about a year, she moved to Seattle where she currently lives with Kevin and their dog.

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_{This story was produced in partnership with the First Days Project.}

Rachel Morgan

Rachel is studying journalism and marketing at the University of Washington and is a reporter for the student newspaper, The Daily. Originally from sunny California, she writes about human rights and representation in media coverage. Aside from studying, she enjoys going on hikes and listening to new music.