After trying for three years, Japanese national finally gets green card renewed

Tokie Ozaki, a 70-year-old Japanese national, tried to renew her green card on her own.

She has been trying for the last three years, and was getting frustrated, disappointed and worried. In those three years, she was asked to take biometric tests (fingerprinting) three times and to provide criminal records for the past 10 years (she doesn’t have any).

Finally, her friends suggested to call Legal Aid. How long did it take for us to get the green card? Three months.

Legal Aid Staff Attorney Makoto Messersmith from Hawaii Immigrant Justice Center (HIJC) initially contacted the immigration office to process the application on Tokie’s behalf.

The response was slow as well, so Makoto asked for help from Senator Mazie Hirono’s office. Within weeks, USCIS called Legal Aid and confirmed that they were issuing Tokie’s green card.

“Usually, we try everything first, and if nothing is happening, we ask for the Senator’s help,” said Makoto.

A few weeks after that, Tokie’s new green card was in her hands.

“I was relieved, and I’m happy I can depend on Legal Aid,” wrote Tokie in Japanese. “Attorney Makoto was very kind and explained the situation very well. It was very helpful because the services were provided in Japanese. Thank you so much, Attorney Makoto.”

“I just can’t imagine how stressful it must be for Tokie,” said Makoto. “I felt so bad for her, for years of waiting. I’m glad I can help and that she got the green card. She deserves it. She complied with everything.”