Co-authored by Shriya Deshpande

That’s how many countries the Loke family is from.

While other families generally have parents born in the same nation, sophomore Ryan Loke’s family comes from all over the world. His father, Yan Loke, is from Brunei. His mother, Monica Loke, is from Africa. His brother, Monta Vista alumnus Myron Loke, is from Singapore. And Ryan himself is from the U.S.

“We’re all multinational,” said Yan.

“We’re all multinational,” said Yan.

Ryan’s parents met in Canada in 1994 and moved to Singapore, where his brother Myron was born. They moved to San Diego a few years later, where Ryan was born. The family then moved to Canada in 2002 and back to San Jose in 2011.

Yan came here on a work visa for all the times the family moved. The Loke family currently has a special visa called the North American Free Trade Agreement, which gives workers from Canada or Mexico a work visa. Although the process for getting a work visa is quicker for those who don’t have to apply from outside the continent, there are some difficulties for the family. One problem in particular came when Myron Loke was applying for colleges.

“We’re still considered non-resident because we’re not here on a Green Card,” Yan said. “[It] was difficult for Myron’s case because he was considered out of state. [When] he applied for school in California, he had to pay out of state fees.”

Yan also says that being on a work visa limits the opportunities for his work, and the potential work of his family. According to Yan, a person on a work visa can only work for the specific employer that hired him. Any attempts to change jobs results in the person having to reapply for another visa.

In the future, the Loke family hopes to apply for a green card, and later American citizenship, so the family can be open to new opportunities regarding school and jobs.

“Even if I don’t have parents with American citizenship, I highly doubt there would be anything different [if they did],” said Ryan.