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Don’t you dare give up: Indian founder on becoming US citizen
The Smart Green Card founder's path from an F-1 visa to citizenship included an H-1B setback and a federal court battle over his delayed naturalization application.
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Malvika Choudhary - Mon, 17, Aug 2026
- 16:48 EDT
- 141
Saiman Shetty / Instagram/ @saimanshetty
Indian immigrant and entrepreneur Saiman Shetty became a US citizen after years of visa struggles and a legal battle with USCIS over a delayed naturalization application.
The founder of Smart Green Card, announced his citizenship status on Instagram Aug. 14, writing, “Today, I am an American. Officially done with USCIS for the rest of my life.”
Also Read: US bill revives green card pathway for H-1B visa holders
Shetty said his immigration journey included an H-1B lottery setback, an EB-1A green card and an investigation into his career-coaching business. His citizenship comes months after a federal court ordered USCIS to adjudicate his naturalization application following a lawsuit he filed over the delay.
According to an April 30, 2026 order from the US District Court for the Northern District of California, Shetty became a lawful permanent resident on May 6, 2019, and filed his naturalization application on March 2, 2024.
USCIS interviewed him for naturalization on Nov. 21, 2024, and he passed the English, civics and history tests, according to the court order. The agency subsequently sought additional information about his career-coaching business, including whether he had a California immigration consultant bond.
Shetty obtained the bond and submitted proof to USCIS the following day, but the agency did not adjudicate his application.
He filed a federal lawsuit in August 2025 seeking judicial review of the delay. The case, Shetty v. Edlow, was filed in the Northern District of California.
The court later disclosed that USCIS was considering issuing Shetty a Notice of Intent to Deny. The agency was investigating whether “specific conduct” related to his career-coaching business constituted an unlawful act under federal naturalization regulations.
Shetty disputed the allegation and argued that his professional-development business was not illegal. The court did not rule on whether he had committed an unlawful act, instead finding that USCIS was better positioned to resolve the factual dispute.
Judge Noël Wise remanded the matter to USCIS and ordered the agency to adjudicate Shetty's naturalization application within 60 days.
The court also noted that Shetty wanted to become a citizen partly so he could enlist in the US Air Force Reserve and enter officer training school. It also noted that he had a newborn child who is a US citizen.
Shetty's latest announcement indicates that the naturalization process ultimately concluded in his favor. He did not provide details of the final USCIS decision in his Instagram post.
From H-1B lottery to EB-1A
Shetty's immigration journey began when he moved to the US from Karnataka as an international student. In his Instagram post, he described arriving in Arizona with a one-way ticket, little money and no established support network.
He said Tesla filed an H-1B petition for him in 2016, but he was not selected in the lottery. He later obtained an EB-1A green card in 2019.
Before launching Smart Green Card, Shetty worked at companies including Tesla, Lyft and Nuro. His company now provides support to immigrants pursuing employment-based immigration options, including EB-1A petitions.
Shetty alleges fraud complaint
In his citizenship announcement, Shetty also said people he described as “jealous” had tried to portray him as a “fraud” and submitted the allegations to USCIS.
“For a moment, the most powerful immigration system on earth almost took the bait,” he wrote. “But ... in the end, that's exactly what showed up. Justice.”
Shetty did not identify the people he accused or provide evidence that their alleged complaint triggered the USCIS investigation.
“Trolls wanted me deported. Instead, I'm an American,” Shetty wrote.
He said the experience had strengthened his commitment to helping immigrants and dedicated his message to people on F-1, H-1B, O-1 and L-1 visas and those facing green card backlogs.
“Don’t you dare give up. Follow the law, do the right thing and keep working hard!” he wrote.
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