After this incident Sarwar decided to apply at the US embassy in Damascus, Syria. With one of the many letters expressing some excitement regarding his anticipated arrival to the United States, an application for a visa was approved after three months. He arrived in New York City on January 25, 1975 and started his assessment of the Shia communities and their needs. By 1978, with full support of Marja', the Islamic Seminary was operating the first Shia Center in the United States in Woodside Queens, New York.