When Saiman Shetty announced on social media that he lost his Green Card, several commentators celebrated without understanding the clickbait. In a video, ahead of the Indian Independence Day, he announced that the USCIS took away his Green Card. He said that a number of trolls reported him to the USCIS as he was helping other immigrants to get their Green Cards in the US. It was just a teaser to announce that USCIS took away his Green Card as he became a US citizen.
What is Saiman Shetty’s story?
Saiman Shetty runs Smart Immigration AI, which he calls the “first and oldest program helping high-skilled immigrants advance their career achievements into an extraordinary future in America”. He is also the co-founder of ResumePuppy, a platform to make resumes for tech jobs.Before all these, he worked at Nuro, Lyft, Tesla and a few other companies in the US.But even before his US journey began, he did several internships in India, as his LinkedIn profile lists BSNL and ONGC as his workplaces.Shetty completed his engineering at Visvesvaraya Technological University in 2013 and then went to Arizona State University for his MS in electrical engineering.His US story spans from 2013 to 2026, during which he switched from a student visa to an Einstein visa and then straight to US citizenship.Recounting his US story, Shetty said that he was a broke international student with a one-way ticket, fighting it out in a new country — first in his family to set foot in the US and he had no plan B.“America did not roll out a red carpet. She beat me up. She tested me at every single turn. The debt I didn’t know how I’d repay. The jobs that said no. The H1B lottery I lost. The backlogs. Walking away from a comfortable Silicon Valley paycheck to go build something of my own. Every step, I had to prove myself. Again. And again,” he wrote in his Instagram post.“A few jealous pricks decided I was a “fraud” and built a neat little trap for me. Handed it to USCIS with a bow on top. And for a moment, the most powerful immigration system on earth almost took the bait,” he said adding that he was investigated by the USCIS for his immigration platform and they finally adjudicated that he was not doing anything illegal.
‘I built my profile from scratch’
Shetty shared that after he did not get picked by the H-1B lottery, he built his profile from scratch and wrote his own petition for EB1A Green Card which is called the Einstein visa. “That one decision gave me freedom, stability, and a mission. I realized: no one should have to go through this alone,” he said.
What is EB1A Green Card?
The EB-1A visa (Employment-Based First Preference) is a US permanent residency option, commonly known as an “Einstein Green Card”, designed for individuals who possess extraordinary ability in the sciences, arts, education, business, or athletics.You do not need an employer in the US to sponsor you and can file the petition for yourself. But there are certain conditions that one has to fulfil to become eligible for this Green Card.Winners of the Nobel Prize, Oscar, Grammy, or Olympians qualify for this Green Card straight away.The rest have to meet at least 3 of 10 criteria1. Lesser national or international prizes/awards for excellence.2. Membership in associations that require outstanding achievement.3. Published material about you or your work in major professional media.4. Participation as a judge or reviewer of the work of others in your field.5. Original scientific, scholarly, artistic, or business contributions of major significance.6. Authorship of scholarly articles in professional or major trade journals.7. Display of your work in artistic exhibitions or showcases.8. Performing a leading or critical role in distinguished organizations.9. Commanding a high salary or significantly high remuneration compared to peers.10. Commercial success in the performing arts (box office sales, stream counts).