Ana Maria Geibel and her husband, Donnie, buy into the idea that America is still a land of opportunity.

Ana Maria, who was born in Colombia, has a well-established life in Butler. She works as a researcher at the University of Pittsburgh. Donnie is a nuclear medicine technician at Butler Memorial Hospital and is heavily involved with the nurses’ union. They have a daughter, Valentina, born more than a year ago.

Because of Ana Maria’s dedication and determination, she has been a citizen for several months now, adding additional ease to their lives.

It wasn’t easy, though.

There are multiple phases one must go through when trying to gain citizenship. This includes various stages of visas, application fees and a constant state of vigilance to be sure no steps were skipped and the minute details of all rules were followed.

Ana Maria’s mother has lived in Pittsburgh for almost 25 years after getting married and moving to the United States at a time where it was easier and less expensive to gain citizenship. At 18, her daughter could not come as a dependent, but her 14-year-old brother came to the United States.

Over the years, Ana Maria worked for the Colombian government. After government turnover due to a new administration taking power, she decided to spend time in the U.S. on a tourist visa and study English.

It was then she met her future husband. She returned to Colombia in January 2020.

“I could stay here for six months with the tourist visa. And I got to meet Donnie while I was here, and then I had to leave,” she said. “But I had to go back to my country, because I did not want to be here illegally.”

Donnie visited her in early March 2020. He proposed, and she said yes — not having to think hard about it.

Then, COVID-19 hit. Donnie said he barely made it back into the United States before mass closures of global transportation.

The Butler couple then spent years working toward achieving Ana Maria’s citizenship. Every application for each stage was significantly backlogged due to the pandemic. They said it would normally take about seven months to get a K-1 visa after applying, but embassies were closed during the pandemic, and it ended up taking about 18 months.

A K-1 visa allows the foreign fiancé of a U.S. citizen to enter the U.S. to marry their sponsor within 90 days, after which they can apply for a green card, a temporary “permanent” residence.

“It is wild, between the K-1 visa and her green card and everything. They’re nice about it, but you have to do so much,” Donnie said.

Fortunately, Ana Maria was able to make it back to the United States in 2021. They got married in less than 60 of the required 90 days. They married at their house on Nov. 6, 2021, and had a church ceremony the following June.

They then applied for a green card. After two years, they were allowed to apply to remove conditions on the green card. That new phase lasts 10 years.

It’s a dizzying set of steps: After marriage, you apply for a two-year green card. By the end of that, you apply for a 10-year green card. One year into that, you can apply for citizenship.

During the process, the couple spent several thousands of dollars, including on filing fees and attorneys. Ana Maria estimates she spent $700 on applying for citizenship alone.

Amid the process, life went on. Their daughter, Valentina, was born.

“From us applying for the K-1 visa to her getting her citizenship, it spanned from about April 2020 to September 2025,” Donnie said. “And I don’t know the exact cost.

“We’re very fortunate. Her mom and stepdad helped us out, but it’s quite a process.”

After finally applying, Ana Maria had to pass a test to gain citizenship. Preparing included learning the answers to 100 questions about U.S. history, government and politics.

She was asked 10 questions and had to get six right. Since then, the requirements have slightly changed.

“I’m sitting there, I think I knew five of the six she got right. It’s not that they’re all super difficult, but if you pulled people off of the street, I don’t know if they’d get them,” Donnie said.

The Geibels vividly remember the excitement of that day. Forty people from 25 countries became legal citizens at a ceremony in Pittsburgh. They remember the joy and love of sitting in a restaurant after the ceremony, when people started coming up to congratulate Ana Maria on becoming a citizen.

While the pandemic threw a unique wrench into the Geibels’ plans, they’re not alone in their struggles. Thousands of Pennsylvanians have gone through the process to become legal citizens.

According to the American Immigration Council, 7.9% of the state’s 13 million-plus residents are foreign born — about 1.021 million.

It was important for the couple that she do everything legally when applying to become a citizen.

Ana Maria does not take serious issue with any part of the immigration process. She believes it should be rigorous, and that those who are serious about becoming a citizen in America will put in the work to pass everything. It will also weed out those who are not serious about becoming law-abiding, contributing members to American society, she said.

The process, though, is not an efficient one, she said.

“It’s hard to say something’s efficient when it takes seven months. It wasn’t terrible, but we got to a point after a year and a half where we were like, ‘when is this going to happen?’” Ana Maria said.

The topic of immigration is frequently in the news. Many also don’t know how the processes work. For those like Ana Maria, they left their home country and worked hard to establish a life here.

“I’ve been happy. It’s nice because you don’t have to worry about it once it’s done. We live here. We live in a nice neighborhood, and I am a citizen,” she said.

The Butler Eagle is encouraging residents to try their hand at the citizenship test. We’ve randomized a list of 10 questions offered in multiple choice fashion. Give it a try at https://forms.gle/z78KFkGfgNe8XJSy5.