Interview with Ajaz Siddiqi, Interview with Pakistan immigrant, HIST 150 Spring 2025, Conducted by Ayman Siddiqi, March 9, 2025.
Picture from David Rumsey Map Collection
Overview to Social Change Interview:
Immigrating to the United States is not the easiest thing to do. It is many people’s dream to come to America and take advantage of the many economic and social opportunities. A lot of individuals have relatives and close family members who have immigrated to the United States. It is important for individuals with immigrant family members to educate themselves about how and why their relatives came to America, and to appreciate the sacrifices they made and recognizing how those hardships helped create better opportunities for future generations.
In this interview, Ajaz Siddiqi shares his experience immigrating to the United States as a young Muslim man in the 1980s. The conversation covers main themes such as the American Dream, the differences in the immigration process of then compared to now (present day), and the experience of being a South Asian immigrant in America, especially in the years of 9/11.
Ajaz’s story connects to a larger historical context, a lot of individual’s who are South asian/middle eastern especially men, went through a hard time during/post 9/11, specifically encountering many racial attacks, verbally and physically. After the Immigration Act of 1965 many South Asian immigrants came to America and took advantage of all the job opportunities. A lot of educated South Asians came and settled all over across the United States specifically in the Suburban areas. Ajaz highlights these topics in the interview of what his experience of 9/11 was like and how he settled in a suburban area and worked hard to establish a stable life.
Biography:
Ajaz Siddiqi was born in Karachi, Pakistan and immigrated to America in 1984. He grew up in Northern Virginia going to high school and college while working all at the same time. Being the eldest son in his family he had many responsibilities such as taking care of his parents and siblings who also slowly came to America. He started working in the banking industry after his college years and still is in that industry I will be interviewing him and what the immigration process was like when coming to America. I would like to touch on many parts such as how he learned English and what overall effects he had coming to America.
Research:
I decided to research Pakistani Americans and see how different their stories are from one another especially in the 1980s. I also looked into other immigration processes from other countries. I also wanted to know more information about the effects of immigrating here to America. I think all these sources will help me with the project and the interview.
Immigrants during 9/11: Sarah Capiello had interviewed an individual named Dr. Salman Zafa who is a Pakistani immigrant on his life story immigrating to Staten Island and his transition of life and coming to New York City. He highlights how he came to America due to educational reasons and how a risk it was leaving home. He immigrated to Indiana but moved later on with his wife to New York because the Pakistani community there was larger. Once 9/11 happened it took a toll and led to much discrimination to the Pakistani community and himself. Dr Zafa, learned to ignore the media and become better educated. This was posted by Sarah Capiello with her own research.
South asian immigration: This book called South Asian Immigration to the United States: A Brief History Within the Context of Race, Politics, and Identity is about early South Asian immigration to the U.S. After the Immigration Act of 1965, South Asian immigrants came to the U.S for many job opportunities because many had skilled professionals such as doctors, engineers, and scientists. Between 1966 and 1977, 83% of South Asian immigrants were highly skilled, with thousands holding Ph.D.s in science-related fields. Many settled in suburban areas across the U.S. It showcases how many south asians took advantage of this time to come to America and expand upon themselves. This source is a book from JMU databases.
Immigrants effecting the U.S: This article called “How Does Immigration Affect the United States” By U.C Davis experts talk about how immigrants make up about 13.9% of the country. It gives many statistics and facts on how migration remains a major phenomenon, with 184 million people living outside their birth countries, including 36.4 million refugees. According to Giovanni Peri shows that immigrants complement the native workforce rather than compete with it. From 1990-2004, immigration increased wages for 90% of native-born workers, except for those without a high school diploma, who saw a minor wage decrease. This is a magazine article from U.C Davis college.
Bibliography:
“Pakistani Immigration in a Changing America.” Lori Weintrob, faculty.wagner.edu/lori-weintrob/pakistani-immigration-in-a-changing-america-2/. Accessed 28 Feb. 2025.
Bhatia, S., Ram, A., Perera, M. J., & Chang, E. C. (2018). South Asian Immigration to United States: A Brief History Within the Context of Race, Politics, and Identity. In Biopsychosocial Approaches to Understanding Health in South Asian Americans (pp. 15–32). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-91120-5_2
Thebaud, Russell L. “How Does Immigration Affect the United States?” UC Davis, 19 Aug. 2024, www.ucdavis.edu/magazine/how-does-immigration-affect-united-states.
Transcript
Ayman Siddiqi: 0:01
Okay, so today, I’ll be interviewing my father on his immigration story, coming from Pakistan to the United States. Father, please introduce yourself.
Ajaz Siddiqi: 0:11
Hi. I’m Ajaz Siddiqi. I am 57 years of age. I came to the US in 1984
Ayman Siddiqi: 0:21
Could you explain why and how you came to the US?
Ajaz Siddiqi: 0:24
It has to do with my uncle, who was in the Embassy of Pakistan at that time, and he was a personal assistant to the ambassador. He was a PA and he was in the Foreign Service since the inception of his completing education. So he was placed in the Foreign Service in Washington, DC, and then when he once he retired, they have an option to stay back and they can bring their family. That’s how my father and my uncle’s brother, definitely, he’s the one who sponsored us, and that’s how I came and everyone else after.
Ayman Siddiqi: 1:13
Can you describe the immigration process of coming here?
Ajaz Siddiqi: 1:15
Absolutely the way it was. I had to go fill out a bunch of papers, I had to do a medical report. Then I had to go to a lab, and it was a certain lab, it was approved by the Embassy of us, and obtained the results. They went directly to the embassy. Also, I had to get a police certificate from the local police station, which is called the character certification. And then I had to bring two neighbors who knew me for a long time, since I only was 16 and a half years of age, I had to produce those two names, and they went in with me at the at the police station to verify who I was. Then, then, then it was sent to the head office. Then I had to go to the head office and talk to the he was the charge of Superintendent of Police, then he’s the one who signed off on that certificate, and that is part of the process. I have to take that bunch of along with other papers, whatever the degree or any education you have done, all of that will be submitted to the actually, not the embassy. I’m sorry, it was consulate. So it went to the consulate, and then consulate sent us a certified letter saying, you have an interview. Come in, and then you have to go in and do the interview. Interview process is they will give you certain time, they will charge you a fee for it, obviously. And once that has obtained from them, they will do a formal interview, and that could take pretty much all day of your time on the interview. And if they don’t have any follow up questions, they will say, we will issue you a visa within the few hours, or they will say you can come back the certain dates to get your visa, and that is your green card process, because if you are coming legally to the USA with all of the information I just provided and told you, that’s how the process works, and now he’s even more rigorous process.
Ayman Siddiqi: 3:44
How long, like, how many months did that take to come here?
Ajaz Siddiqi: 3:48
It took me at least nine months to a year. So it’s not, it’s not spur the moment process. It takes a while because they do check the background and everything else. And this is I’m talking about back in 1984 Okay, so, and that was a lot to do, so that’s how much time it took.
Ayman Siddiqi: 4:12
Okay, so once you settled here and finally got here, how was it with the language barrier in school and with your work life?
Ajaz Siddiqi: 4:20
Well, before I jump into that, let me tell you exactly how when you arrive in the USA, that should be the question on that once you arrive, what was the process the once I left, once they called me from the consulate, I went in and picked up a package. This package was not to open, and the passport have the visa, okay, but was the rest of the papers were in that manila envelope, and they were sealed. You’re not supposed to open. It was supposed to be open at the port of entry in the USA. So that’s how, when I arrived at the New York. The Port of Entry, that’s where they had a line saying the visitors and the new newcomer immigrants. I went to that line, and they took the packet from me, and they put us in the small room, and they went and checked the all the papers. It took them two hours to do it while you are sitting in the room. Once they open that and they verify everything, they give all, not all the papers, but some of the papers, I do not know what was in that packet, so it was given to me, and they said they will, here’s your passport. You are welcome to USA. You will receive your green card in a mail. It could be anywhere between two weeks to a month.
Ayman Siddiqi: 5:45
Nice
Ajaz Siddiqi: 5:46
Okay
Ayman Siddiqi: 5:47
so once you arrived, you settled in, you started school.
Ajaz Siddiqi: 5:51
Yes
Ayman Siddiqi: 5:52
and how was that with the language barrier?
Ajaz Siddiqi: 5:56
It was tough, obviously, because English is not a first language and the educational process in Pakistan at that time, people were not as much friendly to English, only to certain individuals, certain groups of people will go to those type of schools to learn English. English was very far behind at that time, so it was very difficult to understand and to communicate, because even a basic one, basic words, were hard to say, pronounce or even to comprehend any of that.
Ayman Siddiqi 6:38
Okay, could you explain some examples of the effects of living in America that you have crossed?
Ajaz Siddiqi: 6:48
Okay, the effects of living in America now or at that time?
Ayman Siddiqi: 6:52
At that time
Ajaz Siddiqi: 6:54
At that time, obviously, but the cultural shock, because a young person who comes from a different culture. When you arrive, it’s absolutely totally changed for you, because first left hand side to right hand side driving it’s one of the things you have to get used to. Second people the way spoke. You have to understand what kind of wordings they are using, because a lot of idioms were used at that time, or they still do, of course, but you have to understand the what they call the lingo, and it was hard to cope with that. So first year or two were pretty struggle learning and understanding the culture. Make sure you follow the law to the T don’t throw everything on the street. There were, you know, the garbage can, the dustbins and everything was placed for that reason, coming from a culture which is not used to that. So it was a, it was, it was quite a different but good change
Ayman Siddiqi: 7:59
Were you shocked by American culture?
Ajaz Siddiqi: 8:03
Firstly, I sure have. The reason is because when I went to high school, that’s where I saw because we were pretty obedient in our back home, when I came it was in the high school, it was pretty chill. People just talking aloud in the classroom while teacher is teaching. People are not paying attention. They’re making jokes. It was, it was pretty rough, and I did not understand why they do not, why the American kids don’t respect their teachers. But I’m sure that has changed now. But this is back in 1985 I’m talking about,
Ayman Siddiqi: 8:49
Is there any effects now that you have?
Ajaz Siddiqi: 8:53
Effects of?
Ayman Siddiqi: 8:54
Living in America now
Ajaz Siddiqi: 8:56
Of course, I mean, you know, I lived more than half of my life, actually, you know, third of my life in the USA now. So I’m so used to it. I am adapt to the culture and not leaving my own culture there. That is the biggest strength. I think we immigrants bring to the USA, where you adopt all the good things, and you will remain, keep remaining, all of your good things from the cultures you bring in, and you kind of assimilate into the society going forward. And that’s exactly how I cope with that. And worked
Ayman Siddiqi: 9:39
Nice. So while living in America, did you feel you missed anything in Pakistan? If yes or no, please describe why.
Ajaz Siddiqi: 9:48
The only thing I would say I really missed earlier days because of the, let’s say, fasting. You know, Ramadan, it was a different type of atmosphere. There. Air Eid, the celebration after the Ramadan. And those are the big festivals. Of course, I missed, because the community was not large at this time, at that time, I’m sure, of course. So that’s why that was missed, definitely. But of course, over the years, a lot of people came and culture, different culture, different people. And so it becomes normal after that. Of course,
Ayman Siddiqi: 10:31
did you connect with any Pakistani community here?
Ajaz Siddiqi: 10:33
Absolutely not in the beginning, beginning, because we had our a good group of family members. As you know, we have a lot of family members here for over 50 plus years, all living in, mostly living in the Northern Virginia area. So that was not missed, but later on, when more immigrants came, more people came, family members came, it it become normal after that?
Ayman Siddiqi: 11:08
So obviously you arrived in the 19 around the 1980s and obviously 9/11 came, and as a Muslim man in America, there was a lot of effects. So did you have any effects on living here after 9/11?
Ajaz Siddiqi: 11:24
Actually, I personally never encounter any of that. Maybe the reason is because you dress certain ways. You know, if you dressed certain ways at that time, you will be, you’ll be picked on. And some people who does not understand the fault of the religion, you know, they blame the religion on that, not the people. Is the people are the one who has done whatever. And you know, so in my opinion, no, I’ve never encountered anything like that.
Ayman Siddiqi: 12:06
Nice, Explain the comparison of how your life was coming here and to now living in America?
Ajaz Siddiqi: 12:12
Obviously, when you come to USA, you are struggling on so many levels. And once you become once you put yourself on the right path, follow the right people. And you know what? I’ve understood a long time ago, that you have a mentor in your life, you need to have a mentor, and that mentor is the person who will guide you through on so many levels. So I was lucky enough to have a few people in my life On the work side and from the family side, and that is really helped me navigate where I am today. And obviously, if I compare myself from it’s night and day, it’s just there’s no comparison now.
Ayman Siddiqi: 12:53
How do you feel about the immigration process? Now? What do you think you would come now at in during these times
Ajaz Siddiqi: 13:00
America is the land of immigrants. If anybody’s here beside the Native Americans, they are immigrants. They are son daughters and the families of immigrant. Why the Father? Nation’s fathers, when they wrote the Declaration of Independence, it’s specified there. There was a reason for it. Yes, it took others to realize that atrocities and everything else was done to them. It’s it is different, but today’s immigrant are more efficient than the immigrants of the 80s and 90s, because now people have more knowledge. They are more educated. They work hard, like we did. As we early immigrants work really hard to be to prove ourselves to the local, the Americans that you know we belong here we we are the people who has so much GDP. We have infused our money into the GDP of the USA. We pay so much taxes, and being the Pakistanis Americans, I would say we are number three or number four, paying taxes and earning high salaries in the of wages in the USA.
Ayman Siddiqi: 14:29
So would you say the process like now is harder, definitely to come here
Ajaz Siddiqi: 14:24
absolutely the it has gotten harder. It has gotten longer. It is discouraged. Unfortunately, the biggest America is because every time the service industry needed labor, they have gone outside and issued a lottery program. This was done. Separately by the US government to fulfill the service industries. And those service industries were on the backs. It was built backs of the immigrants
Ayman Siddiqi: 15:14
backtracking here. I want to talk more about your working life when you arrived. How was that? So you came here at 16, went to school, and then what about education after and your work life?
Ajaz Siddiqi: 15:28
Sure, Well, at that time, you know, coming from a lower middle class family, that is required for you to work and go to school at the same time. So I went to high school in the morning, I worked. And very, very beginning, I worked at McDonald’s. Then I was I found another job at 7/11 where I would work at nights and then go to school in the morning. And done that for for two years, of course. And then I started to look for other opportunities, and slowly I have, I’ve gone to a community college, and then right away I was in the the I was always wanted to be a banker. So I have. I found myself in 1987 a very first job at the bank as a teller or cashier. That’s how I started.
Ayman Siddiqi: 16:25
What was the banking life like in that time, especially as an immigrant,
Ajaz Siddiqi: 16:29
it was absolutely great, because most of your peers, I would say, or the immigrant folks, were not into professionals because they were most in the service industries or any other industries, let’s say a cab or, you know, service training industry would cover so many things on that. So they were there. Very few of the immigrants at that time gone into a professional side of it, and that was the stepping stone for me, going into the professional side. And that’s and I’m proud of that.
Ayman Siddiqi: 17:12
That’s good. So as a proud Pakistani, have you felt you have accomplished while coming here within your 40 years?
Ajaz Siddiqi: 17:24
Yes, absolutely. In the last 40 years, you know, from a young man to a an older person, I have accomplished in terms of a family, in terms of jobs, you’re talking about the community, the atmosphere, surroundings, everything has improved, of course, now you know when you are able to help other community members, not Just the immigrants, it’s just the community members in general, and through your actions, whether it’s through the personal level or through working on the professional level. Yes, I see myself that, especially in the professional side, have helped so many people, and also on the personal side, have gathered people into one platform to understand better understanding of the the USA, what needs to be done properly, legally, so that way you be A productive person of the society.
Ayman Siddiqi: 18:42
Is there any advice you would give back to your old self or someone in your shoes?
Ajaz Siddiqi: 18:47
Absolutely, if I had more opportunity, I would have gotten myself a even higher education. I would have. That’s the only regret I have, even though I can still do it. But of course, it’s not really. I don’t want to go into the books again and go through
Ayman Siddiqi: 19:02
Yeah, Of course.
Ajaz Siddiqi: 19:05
what is the regular person or an average student has to go through.
Ayman Siddiqi: 19:14
Got it. Thank you so much for this interview. Really appreciate it.
Ajaz Siddiqi: 19:18
You’re welcome.
Interview and Transcription Process:
This interview was held in person on March 9, 2025, and transcribed using Otter AI.