Profile: Oliver Stone

Kevin Gochee

By: Kevin Gochee

Oliver Stone catches the attention of others with his Australian accent and love for Vegemite. He moved to America in the summer of 2013, and relies on his parents’ work visa. Stone has made a home in the community of Lincoln, but his visa does not guarantee that this home will be permanent.

Stone’s family moved to America, chasing improved job opportunities. The sizeable corporations that Stone’s parents work for helped to speed up the grueling process of acquiring a visa.

“It was very difficult,” said Stone. “Not many people can get visas…, we got lucky.”

Acquiring a visa is not the only challenge Stone and his family face. Stone’s visa separates him into a different category during international travel, adding up to an hour in his customs process.

“Every time I re-enter the country, I have to go to a separate line for visa citizens. In that line, the process is more thorough than a normal customs line.”

Stone has to go the extra mile whenever he exits or enters the country, making international travel unfavorable.

The scariest part of Stone’s visa is its temporary quality.

“There is always a possibility it won’t get renewed,” said Stone.

If Stone’s visa does not get renewed, he would be forced to go back to his home country of Australia.

“It would be sad if I had to go home,” said Stone. “I have many friends here that I would miss.”

To fulfill part of his visa requirements, Stone and his family is required to spend a certain amount of time each year outside America.

“My family planned to go to Thailand for a week to fill this requirement, but we got rejected.” Stone explained that his family had been rejected from multiple countries in addition to Thailand. “I was starting to get worried,… because I wasn’t sure if we were going to find a place to stay,” said Stone.

Stone’s case illustrates the difficulties immigrants face when trying to acquire a form of citizenship in the U.S. The process of obtaining a U.S visa is complicated. Stone will never be reassured that he can make his home in the U.S. permanent.

When Stone is older, he plans to escape this annoying process and return to his home country of Australia. In Australia, Stone doesn’t have to be bothered with visa travel and renewal. He can make his home permanent.