Viktoriia Chekhivska L'15

Viktoriia Chekhivska L'15

December 22, 2014
Road to Citizenship

Law school is a challenging experience for all students.  Between writing papers, taking exams, searching for a job, and much more, it can often be an overwhelming time.  Viktoriia Chekhivska (L ’15) had even more on her plate, however; she was in the process of becoming an American citizen while navigating her way through law school.

Chekhivska was first exposed to the United States when she visited in 2006 as part of an exchange program from her native Ukraine.  When she returned to Kiev and completed law school, she worked with foreign clients and “saw my life somewhere else, not in Ukraine,” Chekhivska explained.  “Everything became clear when my husband (an American native to Northern Virginia) proposed and we decided that I should move to the United States.”  At that point, there was no question in Chekhivska’s mind that she wanted to make the United States her home.  “I don't think that I ever asked myself whether I wanted to become a citizen, or had any doubts, since I was going to live here, hopefully for the rest of my life,” Chekhivska said. “So I simply needed to become one.”

Chekhivska described the citizenship process as “long and tedious,” but is thankful that it took her fewer than four years to become an American citizen.  “I know many people who are waiting six or more years to complete their paperwork,” she said.  “My process was shorter because I got married here.”  She explained that she got a conditional green card in three months, and then received an unconditional green card a year later.  During that time, there were a few things that gave her pause.  “Every time when I travelled abroad, I had that biggest fear that for some reason, customs and immigration would not let me enter United States and I would have to return to Ukraine,” she explained. “For that reason, I chose not to travel abroad when I was in law school - what if that happened, and I would have to miss a semester or year of law school? My whole point of going to Richmond was to get done with law school in two years and go back to Washington, D.C., to my husband.”

A year later, and two years after receiving her original green card, Chekhivska had to go to an immigration office and interview with an official to apply for an extension to her green card.  “I was particularly worried, because at that time I was attending law school here and lived here during weekdays, while my husband was living in Northern Virginia and working in Washington, D.C.,” she recalled. “But the officer understood our situation, and so my green card was extended.  A couple of months after that interview, I was eligible to apply for citizenship.”

After another application and a civics test, Chekhivska was ready to become a naturalized citizen of the United States.  “I was asked if I could attend a ceremony two weeks from the date of the interview, just a week before classes started,” she said.  “Obviously I cancelled all of my plans and agreed. The ceremony was solemn, it took place in a high school, lasted about four hours, and together with 600 other people, I officially became naturalized and received my naturalization certificate.”

Chekhivska credits her Richmond Law experience with helping to motivate her on her path to citizenship.  “The fact that I started law school and would have to take the Bar Exam did not let me "relax" and postpone preparing all the paperwork for when I first became eligible,” she recalled.  At the same time, Chekhivska also knows that being a citizen will help open doors for her career in the law.  “When I was looking for 1L job in Washington, D.C., not being a citizen was an obstacle I could not overcome,” she explained.  “My applications for unpaid internships were not even considered because I was not a citizen, and I did not expect that. Now, I hope this will change. After I graduate in May, I will return to Northern Virginia, will take the Virginia Bar, and want to practice environmental law in the non-profit sector. I hope that being a U.S. citizen will allow me to do that.”

Ultimately, Chekhivska is just happy to be an American citizen and to have the chance to practice law here.  “After three years of living in the United States and constant paperwork, I just wanted to speed up the process and be like everyone else - to vote and stop paying constant fees, to name a few things,” she said.  She is also excited to be able to follow her true passion in life.  “I was always attracted to open water – the sea or the ocean. Since I came to the United States, I was able to realize this interest by getting into the saltwater aquarium hobby, and now own a 125-gallon aquarium at home,” she explained. “Here, it is possible to specialize in environmental law, something I always liked but never had a chance to work on in Ukraine, because there is no such specialization. I hope that I will be able to combine the things I like - oceans and animals - and work to protect them.”