For many Asian Americans, the Lunar New Year is a time of celebration. Customs and traditions are as diverse as those who practice them, but one thing remains constant – celebrating as a family. To Asian Americans missing their loved ones abroad, the celebrations are tinged with sadness.

Sadly, thousands of Asian Americans and other immigrant families know all too well the pain of being apart from their close family members not only on holidays but birthdays, graduations, funerals and weddings. Even the simple ritual of a weekend family dinner is impossible. Nearly two-thirds of Asian Americans are foreign-born.  Some green card holders wait years for a visa for their spouse and young children.  Those who have become citizens will often wait up to nearly two decades for an adult child or a sibling that was left behind.  Close family members from certain Asian countries -- especially the Philippines, China, India and Vietnam – face an even longer wait because of per country quotas that are the same limit regardless of a country’s size or demands for visas.  For example, the married daughter of an American citizen from the Philippines can expect to wait up to 19 years before she can join her family in the United States. These family members are generally not allowed to visit in America while they are waiting for a visa to become available.

Something is terribly, tragically wrong with an immigration system that keeps close family members apart for years on end.  While our elected officials frequently speak of family values, many of them have done little to help Americans reunite quickly with family members waiting to immigrate.  Congress has been slow to update the laws which have limited quotas set several decades ago.  Why is that?

One reason could be the common misperception that immigrants who come to the U.S. via a family member are not contributing to American progress.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  Immigrant-owned family businesses are a driving force behind inner-city revitalization and job growth in nearly every major American metropolis.  Family-based immigrants are more likely than other Americans to start small and medium-sized businesses, which create much-needed jobs for native-born and immigrant workers alike.  Many family-based immigrants arrive in the U.S. during their prime working years and American businesses benefit from their skills and talents.

Our immigration system needs to recognize that our communities are strongest when family members can be safety nets for each other; can pool their resources to open businesses, buy homes or send their children to college.  Families are meant to be together to meaningfully share their lives.  So while you are enjoying the New Year’s festive decorations, fire crackers, lion dancers and ethnic dishes this holiday, please think of those whose celebrations will be incomplete this year.  Please write to your members of Congress and ask them to co-sponsor the Reuniting American Families Act and also to support comprehensive immigration reform that reunites our families.