Daughter Records Dad's Beautiful Reaction When He Receives Permanent Residency In United States

A proud daughter has shared a heartwarming clip of her immigrant dad's excitable reaction to receiving his permanent residency in the U.S. after years of waiting to see his family. Jacqueline Pantaleon, 26, from Las Vegas, Nevada, captured her father, Eledoni's wonderful reaction at her family home on her mother's birthday. Eledoni (pronounced El-leh-don-e), 49, moved to the United States from his family home in Guerrero, Mexico, when he was 15 years old, heading to live with his older brother in California. Due to Eledoni's immigration status, he was not able to return home for decades, working two jobs back to back to support his family. Such restrictions were tough for Eledoni, who was not able to head to Mexico for the likes of his father's funeral in 2003. He started working on his permanent residency in late 2018, Jacqueline said, but due to a number of slowdowns – some caused by the coronavirus pandemic – the application process lasted years and cost a lot of money. In early 2023, though, Eledoni received his work permit before his permanent residency card arrived on August 11. With Jacqueline and her sister having their suspicions about what her father's letter might be about, they took out their phones when she returned home from work and started to open it. When Eledoni discovered his permanent residency card was inside, he held the card in the air and jumped for joy, breaking into a happy dance.