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Recent Success Stories

Permanent/Conditional Residence (Green Cards)

Green Card Application Approved for Aged-Out Applicant
Location: Columbus, OH

Our client was the unmarried daughter of a lawful permanent resident, and she was over 21 years old.  She already had an approved I-130 petition filed by her mother on her behalf.  When our client's mother filed the I-130 petition, our client was under 21 years old and was classified under the F2A preference category as an unmarried child of a permanent resident.  

When our client approached our office the visa numbers were available for that category. However, she had aged out and was over 21.  We reviewed the Child Status Protection Act (CSPA) which allows certain beneficiaries to preserve their classification as a child even though they have aged out due to processing times and/or visa availability.  We calculated our client's age under CSPA and determined that she was eligible to be classified as a child for immigration purposes.  We prepared her application with all supporting documents and provided a cover letter explaining her eligibility.

Our client was scheduled for an interview on January 7, 2014, and her application was approved the same day.

Green Card Application Approved for Client Married to U.S. Citizen
Location: Columbus, OH

Our client entered the U.S. on a student visa.  She met and married a U.S. citizen and came to our office for help to file a green card.  We prepared and filed the applications on September 4, 2013.  Her work authorization and advance parole applications were approved.  She was scheduled for an interview, and we prepared her for the interview and advised her of the documents she should bring.  Her interview was scheduled for November 18, 2013, and her green card application was approved the same day!  In less than three months our client's case was completed.

Green Card Application Approved for GIS Analyst under the National Interest Waiver Category
Location: Washington

Our office underwent a three-year journey to obtain an approved I-140 Petition under the 2nd preference category for a position holding an advanced degree plus a national interest waiver of the labor certification requirement.  We encounterd various obstacles from USCIS, but the petition was approved on May 5, 2013.  (See Story in Employment-based Visa Petitions and PERM Category).  This was a self-petition so our client was exempt from the labor certification requirement. 

We then helped our client prepare the green card applications for him and his wife.  We found out that our client's wife had previously been to the U.S. on a J-1 visa and was subject to the 2-year foreign residence requirement.  We instructed our client to provide us with documentation to show that our client's wife had been outside of the country for an entire two-year period. 

We also found ut that our client visited Canada for a day trip but did not have a valid nonimmigrant visa stamp in his passport. Our client had entered the country with a valid H-1B visa.  He applied for an extension of his visa status before the visa expired, which was approved.  But, he had never gone to to the embassy in his country for a second visa interview to obtain a second visa stamp.  He was waived in by the customs and border patrol office without a valid visa stamp.  We argued in our cover letter that our client ws eligible to have his initial H-1B visa stamp automatically revalidated upon re-entry pursuant to the regulations.

We filed our client's case in July 2013, and the applications were approved in October 2013 without any RFE or interview.  Our client and his wife both now have their green cards!


 

I-751 Waiver Approved for Client Whose Marriage Ended in Divorce
Location: Miami, FL

We assisted our client in obtaining his green card in November 2010 (see success story below).  He received a 2-year conditional green card based on marriage to a U.S. citizen.  Our client's marriage, however, did not work out and ended in divorce due to irreconciliable differences.  In September 2012 he approached our office for help to remove the conditions from his green card. 

Normally, an applicant would file an I-751 Joint Petition to Remove Conditions on Residence prior to the expiration of the 2-year green card, but in this situation, our client had to request a waiver from filing the joint petition based on the fact that he entered into the marriage in good faith but the marriage was terminated through divorce.  We provided our client with a list of joint documents we needed in order to file the waiver to demonstrate that our client had indeed entered into a good faith marriage.  We reviewed all the documents provided and put together the waiver application. 

We filed the waiver application in October 2012.  The waiver application was approved in May 2013 without any request for evidence or any interview.  Now our client has a 10-year green card and will be able to apply for citizenship in the near future.

Green Card Application Approved For Client - Separate Residences
Location: Cleveland, OH

Our client met and married a lawful permanent resident who later became a naturalized U.S. citizen.  Our client and his wife are both Turkish Muslims who adhere to strict traditions and religious practices regarding dating and marriage.  Our client's wife lived in a separate state at the time of marriage and shortly after marriage.  They were legally married, but they were waiting for a religious wedding ceremony in their home country before living together as husband and wife.

We prepared and filed theI-130 petition for alien relative only in October 2011 while our client's wife was a lawful permanent resident.  Our client's wife later became a naturalized U.S. citizen, and we immediately filed the I-485 application for the green card in June 2012.  Our client and his wife were scheduled for an interview in November 2012.  They had very few joint documents because of their separate residences.  We provided photos and letters from various family members and friends explaining their religious practices and the nature of the couple's relationship.

We appeared at the interview with our client and his wife.  Our client's green card application was approved three days after the interview!

Motion to Reopen Granted for Denied I-130 Petition/I-485 Application
Location: Columbus, OH

Our client married a U.S. citizen in 2010.  This was the first marriage for both.  Our client and her husband approached our office with help to file the green card application.  We prepared all the forms and filed the application in July 2011. 

Our client and her husband appeared for their interview in January 2012.  After the interview, USCIS issued a Notice of Intent to Deny based on several discrepancies in the testimonies of our client and her husband and based on evidence obtained during a field investigation conducted by the local USCIS office.  The Service indicated that it had called our client's husband's grandmother who had previously owned the residence where our client's husband lived prior to marrying his wife.  The grandmother allegedly claimed that she did not know her grandson was married to our client.

We prepared a response to the Notice of Intent to Deny providing an explanation for the discrepancies that occurred during the interview along with additional proof to show that our clients were in fact living in a bona fide marriage.  We also addressed the evidence obtained by the Service. We provided an explanation for our client's husband's grandmother's response, indicating that she had serious memory loss problems and may be suffering from Alzheimer's. 

The applications were denied on July 30, 2012.  We filed a motion to reopen the case in August 2012 and provided additional evidence demonstrating that the grandmother's response was unreliable. We provided additional affidavits from our client's relatives to attest to the fact the grandmother had memory loss problems. We also provided affidavits from our client's sister and our client's sister's former boyfriend to attest that our client was in fact living with her husband. We also provided new joint documents.  The Service concluded that in light of the new evidence provided that the conclusions reached before were less sustainable and granted the motion to reopen in October 2012.

Our client can now continue with the processing of her case and will be scheduled for a new interview.

Green Card Application Approved Based on Marriage to a U.S. Citizen
Location: Chicago, Illinois

Our client met and married a U.S. citizen and approached our office for help to get his green card.  He first entered the United States in 1996 on a tourist visa and never changed his visa status after the visa expired.  This was not the first marriage for either our client or his wife.  Our client also had a few arrests related to driving under the influence but both cases were dismissed.  Our client did not have any ineligibility issues due to his criminal record.

We prepared and filed the applications in October 2012.  There were no requests for evidence.  Our client was scheduled for his interview three months later in January 2013.  We prepared our client for his interview and informed him about the documents he should prepare for the interview.  We attended the interview with our client, and our client's green card application was approved the next day!

Green Card Application Approved - Adam Walsh Act Issues (Specified Offenses Against Minors)
Location: Cleveland, Ohio

Our client married a U.S. citizen and came to our office for help to file her green card application.  We filed her application in June 2011 with all the necessary documentation.  In February 2012, our client was issued a Request for Evidence and Notice of Intent to Deny because the Service discovered that our client's husband, the petitioner, was convicted of a specified offense against a minor. 

According to the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006, U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents, who have been convicted of any "specified offense against a minor" are ineligible from filing a family-based visa petition on behalf of any beneficiary unless the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security determines in his or her sole discretion that the petitioner poses no risk to the beneficiary of the visa petition.  The law was enacted to protect children from sexual exploitation and violent crimes, to prevent child abuse and child pornography, and to promote Internet safety and to honor the memory of Adam Walsh and other child crime victims.

The Service requested all certified police reports and court records relating to our client's husband's offense; any existing trial transcripts describing the nature and circumstances surrounding the offense; and, the terms and conditions of the sentence, release, probation, or parole.  The petitioner had to prove that either he was not convicted of a "specified offense against a minor" within the meaning of the Act or that the crime for which he was convicted is not a "specified offense against a minor."  In the alternative, the petitioner could also present evidence that he posed no risk to the beneficiary.  

We provided all the requested documentation showing that the crime that our client's husband was convicted of involved a consensual act and that the nature of the underlying offense did not fall within the type of offenses that the Act was established to protect minors from.  We also provided strong evidence that the petitioner posed no threat to the beneficiary.

The Service reviewed our evidence and scheduled an interview with the local USCIS office in October 2012.  We appeared at the interview with our client arguing that our client's husband posed absolutely no threat to his wife.  The adjudicating officer needed additional time to review the case after the interview.  We submitted several inquiries with the local USCIS office to check on the status of the case.  The green card application was finally approved a few months later in December 2012. Our client now has a ten-year green card!

I-751 Waiver Application Approved for Divorced Client
Location: Los Angeles, California

Our client received his two-year conditional green card based on marriage to a U.S. citizen in 2009.  He had a two-year green card because his marriage was less than two years old at the time he received his green card.  Our client's green card was expiring in January 2011.  In order to receive a ten-year green card our client would have to file an I-751 Petition to remove the conditions on his residence.  Our client, however, was divorced at the time his green card was set to expire.  He came to our office for help.

We reviewed his documents and prepared and filed the I-751 Waiver in January 2011.  Even though our client was divorced he could file a waiver of the joint petition on the basis that he had entered into a marriage in good faith which was terminated through divorce.  In order to file this waiver application we must include evidence of a joint life between our client and his wife to demonstrate that he had entered into a bona fide marriage.  The problem with the case was that our client had hardly any joint documents in his possession because he and his wife had lived apart in two different states for most of their marriage.  Our client was living in one state to attend a school to receive specialized training and finish his degree while his wife was living in her home state in order to take care of her sick mother.  They visited each other and communicated on the phone during their time apart but due to their distance they were unable to provide many joint documents. 

Our client was issued a Request for Evidence in April 2011 to provide additional joint documents to demonstrate the validity of their marriage.  We provided secondary evidence to demonstrate that our client was in a good faith marriage such as affidavits from his ex-wife and other family members and friends to attest to the bona fides of the marriage. 

Our client was scheduled for an interview at the local USCIS office in August 2011.  We prepared our client for his interview and attended the interview with our client.   After the interview, the Service issued another Request for Evidence to demonstrate that our client had indeed lived in a bona fide marriage.  We provided other secondary evidence like additional email correspondence and phone logs to show that our client and his ex-wife were communicating with each other on a frequent basis even though they were living apart during their marriage.

The case was pending for several months after the interview, and we submitted inquiries by phone and letter to check on the status of the case.  The case was later transferred to another local USCIS office in the same state for processing.  We were then issued a request for another interview date, but the Service ended up cancelling the interview on its own accord.  We continued to submit inquiries by phone and mail to check on the status of the case.  Our client also made several in-person Infopass appointments to check on the status of the case.  After our final written inquiry in November 2012, our client's waiver application was approved one month later in December 2012.  Our client finally has his ten-year green card and will be eligible to file for U.S. citizenship.

Green Card Application Approved for Client and his Family Based on EB-2 Category
Location: Columbus, Ohio

Our client approached our office for help to file his green card applications for him, his wife and his child.  Our client was a Senior Product Engineer, and he worked for an automobile parts supplier who was willing to sponsor him for a green card.  Our client already had an approved PERM labor certification with a priority date of September 22, 2012.  He had a bachelor's degree and 5 years of progressive work experience in his specialty.  Therefore, we were able to file an I-140 petition based on the employment-based second preference (EB-2) category.  We filed the I-140 Petition on April 19, 2012, and it was approved on June 12, 2012.

We then filed the green card applications for him, his wife, and his child on June 14, 2012 because visas were immediately available for the EB-2 category in June 2012.  They would be unavailable in July 2012.  We filed the applications which were all wrongfully rejected by USCIS.  We were able to convince USCIS that they made a mistake in rejecting the applications (see story below), and the applications were refiled on July 9, 2012. The green card applications were all approved on October 5, 2012.

Acceptance of Green Card Applications after Incorrect Rejection by USCIS
Location: Columbus, Ohio

We helped our client file his I-140 Petition in the employment-based  second preference category (EB-2) which was approved in June 2012.   The next step was to file green card applications for him, his wife, and child.  The visa bulletin for July 2012 published by the Department of State which shows all the cut-off dates for immediately available visas for family and employment-based categories showed that visas would be unavailable for the EB-2 category in July 2012.  We knew that time was of the essence, so we immediately filed the green card applications on June 14, 2012. 

The applications were all rejected by USCIS stating that there were no immediately available visas in June 2012 for the EB-2 category.  The applications were all returned to our office by the beginning of July 2012.  We immediately contacted the Nebraska Service Center by email notifying them of the mistake, and we explained that the June 2012 visa bulletin indicated that visas were available for the EB-2 category.  They contacted us acknowledging that they had made a mistake, but the Service indicated that they could not accept the applications because there were no visas available in July 2012.  We immediately responded and contacted USCIS headquarters by email explaining the situation and notified them that we would file a lawsuit if the mistake was not corrected. 

We then received an email from USCIS headquarters indicating that we could send the applications to the Nebraska Service Center for processing.  We returned all the applications, and the applications were accepted and considered timely filed.

Replaced Expiring 10-Year Green Card
Location: Columbus, Ohio

Our client's green card application was expiring, and she approached our office for help to renew her green card.  We prepared the application and filed it on May 7, 2012.  The application process went smoothly, and the application was approved on August 30, 2012.

Green Card Application Approved Based on Marriage
Location: Chicago, Illinois

Our firm was retained by a client whose marriage based green card application was denied and she asked us to help her with the case. We re-filed her green card application with USCIS on June 4, 2012. She was issued a Request for Evidence (RFE) on June 20, 2012 to which we responded within two weeks. The interview was held on August 22, 2012. The interviewing officer confirmed the same day that the case is approvable and that our client should receive her green card in the mail. The case was approved in less than 3 months.

Replaced Expiring 10-Year Green Card
Location: Columbus, Ohio

Our client from South Korea is a permanent resident, and her 10-year green card was expiring.  We prepared and filed her application on April 23, 2012. There were no additional request for evidence.  The application was approved four months later on August 22, 2012.

Green Card Application Approved Based on Marriage to a U.S. Citizen
Location: Atlanta, Georgia

Our firm was retained by a marketing company to file an H-1B petition on behalf of a citizen of the Ukraine who was well-qualified for the job.  We prepared the case and submitted it to USCIS.  However, the next day the Service issued a memo stating that the fiscal year 2012 H-1B quota had been reached and all new H-1B Petitions received by the Service on or after November 23, 2011 will be rejected.  The Service returned our H-1B Petition and we advised our client, whose status was expiring in 3 months, either to make sure she continues to stay in status or go back home.

The woman was in a serious relationship with a U.S. citizen.  She could not remain in the U.S. beyond the expiration of her status and it prompted them to expedite their marriage plans.  They married in January and we filed our client's green card application case with USCIS on March 1, 2012. 

Our client was issued a Request for Evidence (RFE) on March 14, 2012.  Our office responded on May 4, 2012, some seven weeks later.  The interview was held on June 25, 2012.  The interviewing officer confirmed the same day that the case is approvable and that our client should receive her green card in the mail.  One June 26, 2012, the Service issued an approval notice.  The case was approved in less than 4 months despite the fact that it took more than 7 weeks to submit a response to an RFE.

I-751 Petition to Remove Conditions on Residence Approved
Location: West Virginia

A citizen of India was married to her U.S. citizen husband since October 2008.  Our office filed the I-751 Petition to Remove the Conditions on her Permanent Residence with USCIS on August 12, 2011 with evidence to show that our client was in a good faith marriage.  Six months later the Service was still reviewing the case.  Our office contacted USCIS multiple times and requested adjudication of the case.  We strongly believed our client's case should be approved and should be approved immediately.  On May 22, 2012, USCIS approved the case without any requests for evidence or an interview.

I-751 Petition to Remove the Conditions on Residence Approved
Location: Columbus, Ohio

A citizen of Jordan was married to his wife since April 2007.  Our office filed an I-751 Petition to Remove Conditions on his Residence with USCIS on August 2, 2011 with evidence to show that our client was in a good faith marriage.  Six months later the Service issued a Request for Evidence asking for additional proof of a good faith marriage.  Our office reviewed this Request for Evidence and notified the client as to what documents to provide and how to proceed.  We provided a birth certificate of a child born to the couple after they had filed the petition.  We also provided additional joint documents since the filing of the petitition.  On March 21, 2012 our office responded to this Request for Evidence.  On April 6, 2012, the Service Center approved the case.

Replaced Expiring 10-Year Green Card
Location: Columbus, Ohio

Our client from South Korea is a permanent resident, and his 10-year green card was expiring.  We prepared and filed his application on January 17, 2012. There were no additional request for evidence.  The application was approved three months later on April 16, 2012.

I-751 Petition Approved - Issues about Bona Fides of Marriage
Location: Chicago, Illinois

A citizen of the Ukraine was married to her husband since February 2009.  She filed an I-751 Petition to Remove Conditions on her Residence with USCIS on May 16, 2011.  Seven months passed and there was no decision on her case.  She contacted our office for help.

We immediately placed an inquiry with USCIS on December 15, 2011 requesting that the Service enter us as attorney of record in their system and provide us with any update on our client's case.  The next day, the Service issued a Request for Evidence asking for proof of a good faith marriage.  The deadline to submit this response was March 9, 2012. 

Our client and her husband were renting a room in a residential home and were not responsible for any utility bills or statements.  As such, they did not have any joint documents of communal residence.  We instructed our client about what needed to be gathered such as a letter from a landlord and friends and family members in addition to joint financial records.

Our office reviewed all documents that our client gathered and we submitted the response to the request for additional evidence with USCIS on March 5, 2012.  Eight days later, on March 13, 2012, USCIS approved our client's I-751 petition to remove the conditions from her permanent resident status.  In two months, our client is eligible to petition to become a United States citizen.

Green Card Application Approved Based on Marriage to U.S. Citizen - Issues with Passport & Visa
Location: Chicago, Illinois

Our client is from the Ukraine, and he approached our office to help him file a green card based on his marriage to a U.S. citizen.  Our client entered the U.S. in April 1998 on a tourist visa and overstayed his visa.  Our client obtained his tourist visa with the help of a travel agent.  He did not know what the travel agent filed on his behalf, but when he got his visa and passport he found that his last name was incorrect by several letters.  He asked the travel agent to correct this error, but the travel agent refused.  Our client entered the United States using that passport and visa.  He soon met his current wife.  They dated for more than 5 years and then got married in February 2011. 

Our client came to our office in June 2011 for help.  He went to several lawyers before us and was informed that they could not help him because of the issues with his passport and visa.  We reviewed the law, prepared his green card application with his correct name.  We filed this case with USCIS in August 2011.  Our client was scheduled for an interview in November 2011.  At the time the interviewing officer asked us what happened at the time of entry.  We explained that our client was not responsible for obtaining the visa and passport and that it was the travel agent who had prepared all the applications.  The officer had to do one last review of the file but indicated that the case was approvable.  No decision had been issued by the end of December.  Our office then made multiple inquiries with the local USCIS office.  In February 2012, our client's green card application was approved!

Green Card Application Approved Based on Marriage - Spouse Temporarily Residing in Separate Location
Location: Newark, New Jersey

Our client from Ghana approached our office to help him to file for a green card based on his marriage to his spouse who is a naturalized U.S. citizen.  Our client was concerned because he and his wife are temporarily living apart because of their work situations.  Our client lives in New Jersey while his wife lives in Maryland to finish her training.  They live with each other on the weekends in their joint residence in New Jersey but live apart during the weekdays because of work obligations. 

We filed the application on September 26, 2011.  Our client received his work authorization card and advance parole documents.  Our client was scheduled for an interview on January 5, 2012.  We informed our client regarding the documents he should prepare to show that he and his wife are in a bona fide marriage and the documents to corroborate their unique living situation.  Our clients appeared for their interview and explained their living situation to the officer.  The green card application was approved on the same day. 

Green Card Application Approved Based on Marriage to U.S. Citizen
Location: Columbus, Ohio

Our client entered the U.S. with a student visa with her daughter and son.  She later met and married a U.S. citizen.  This was not the first marriage for either our client or her husband, and they both had adult children from their previous marriages.  We prepared the green card application with all supporting documents for our client and her minor son in July 2011.  Her son was also eligible to file for a green card based on his step-relationship because his mother married prior to him turning 18.  Our client and her husband did not have a lot of joint documents because they already had established lives as singles.  We instructed them as to the secondary evidence they could provide in support of their case.  Their interview was scheduled for October 4, 2011.  Both green card applications for our client and her son were approved the same day.

I-751 Waiver Approved for Divorced Client
Location: Chicago, Illinois

Our client from the Ukraine approached our office for help to assist her to remove the conditions from her two-year green card.  Our client's green card was first approved in July 2009.  She had to file an I-751 Petition to remove those conditions in July 2011.  Our client was married to a U.S. citizen who was also from the Ukraine.  This was her second marriage, but she ended up divorcing her husband because of verbal/emotional abuse and because he had an affair.

Our client divorced her husband and needed to file an I-751 Waiver of the filing of a joint petition based on the fact that she entered into her marriage in good faith but the marriage was terminated by divorce.  She retained a local attorney in Chicago to help her file the I-751 Waiver.  The lawyer filed the waiver application but did not keep a copy of what they filed with Immigration.  Our client had no idea what documents had been filed on her behalf.  She received a Request for Evidence on July 7, 2011 and decided to look for a new lawyer because she could not trust her former lawyer's office.

She retained our services at the beginning of August 2011.  We reviewed the Request for Evidence and instructed our client as to what documents to prepare.  We provided an extensive response to the Request for Evidence and demonstrated that our client had entered into a good faith marriage.  We filed the response on August 17, 2011, and an interview was scheduled in Chicago at the local USCIS office for September 28, 2011.  We prepared our client for the interview and attended the interview with her.  The I-751 Waiver was approved the same day!  Our client now has a 10-year green card and will be eligible to file for naturalization in three years.  Our client can now live in peace and security and start a brand new chapter in her life.

Green Card Application Approved Based on Marriage to a U.S. Citizen
Location: Columbus, Ohio

Our client came to our office for help to file a green card after she married her U.S. citizen boyfriend.  She entered the United States as a child with her parents.  She fell out of status because her parents did not change or extend their visa status.  As an adult, she later met and fell in love with her current husband.  We helped prepare their application in March 2011. The interview was scheduled in August 2011, and the green card application was approved in September 2011. 

I-751 Petition to Remove Conditions on Green Card Approved
Location: New York, NY

Our client from Turkmenistan was married to a U.S. citizen and had a two-year conditional green card.  She came to our office for help to remove the conditions on her permanent residence.  We instructed her on all the documents she should provide to demonstrate that she still lived in a bona fide marriage with her husband.  However, our client lacked supporting documentation such as income taxes, car insurance, health insurance, and any other documents prior to 2010 to prove that she and her husband had a shared life.  We prepared all the forms and filed her application on February 24, 2011.  The case had been pending for almost six months, and we called  USCIS and spoke with a customer service representative to check on the status of the case.  Two days later on August 12, 2011 our client's application was approved.  The case was approved without an interview and with no requests for additional evidence.  Now, our client has her ten-year green card. 

Green Card Application Approved Based on Marriage to U.S. Citizen
Location: Columbus, Ohio

Our client from Kenya hired our office to help him apply for a green card.  He came into the U.S. as a student in 2003 on a student visa and obtained his bachelor's degree.  He did not change his visa status and eventually fell out of status.  He later married a U.S. citizen.  This was the first marriage for both.  He did not know if he could apply for a green card based on discouraging news he had received from other attorneys.  We assured our client that he was eligible to file for a green card.  We prepared all the necessary applications and instructed our client as to all the documents he should provide to show that he was in a bona fide marriage.  Our client was scheduled for an interview in five months.  We helped prepare our client and his wife for their interview and attended the interview with them.  The officer recommended approval at the end of the interview, and our client received his approval notice three days later.  He is now planning a trip with his wife to visit his parents back in Kenya who he has not seen for almost eight years!

Green Card Application Approved for Parent of U.S. Citizen
Location: Columbus, Ohio

Our client from S. Korea is a U.S. citizen, and he retained our services in January 2011 to file his mother's green card application.  We prepared the necessary applications with all the supporting documents and filed the applications on January 25, 2011.  Our client's mother received her work authorization card in less than two months.  Our client's mother was scheduled for an interview on April 15, 2011. We appeared with our client and his mother at the interview.  The adjudicating officer indicated that all our documents looked good and approved the green card application at the interview.  Our client's mother's green card  application was approved in less than three months.

Replacing Green Cards - Initial Cards Never Received
Location: Cleveland, Ohio

Our clients, a brother and sister from Belarus, were admitted into the U.S. with diversity visas in March 2009.  At the time of entry, they informed the customs officer that they were moving to a new address and provided their new address.  Our clients never received their green cards in the mail at the new address.  They approached our office for help, and we filed applications requesting replacement green cards.  Both applications were approved, and our clients have finally received their green cards.

Green Card Application Approved for Asylee
Location: Cleveland, Ohio

Our client from the Ukraine was granted asylum in March 2009 before the Immigration Judge.  He approached our office for help to file his green card application.  After he met the one-year physical presence requirement, we filed his green card application with all supporting documents in May 2010.  Our client's interview was scheduled seventh months later.  We prepared him for his interview and instructed him as to the documents he will need to bring to the interview.  Our client was convicted of two DUI's but this did not make him ineligible for a green card.  His application was approved one week after the interview! 

Green Card Application Approved Based on Marriage - Issues about Bona Fides of Marriage
Location: Tampa, Florida

Our client from Lithuania entered the United States in 2002 as a student.  He met and fell in love with a U.S. citizen who was 10 years younger than him. They married in 2010 and approached our office for help to obtain a green card.  We helped our client and his wife prepare the I-130 petition for alien relative along with the I-485 application for a green card.  We filed the applications in May 2010. Our client was scheduled for an interview at the local CIS office in August 2010.  We flew to Florida to attend the interview with our client.   

 

At the interview, the adjudicating officer first interviewed our client’s wife and confronted her with a statement from her relative obtained during a field investigation conducted prior to the interview.  The officer questioned the bona fides of the marriage based on this statement obtained from the relative.  He further indicated that the I-130 petition could not be approved at that time and that the file would be under review for additional investigation.  Our client’s wife denied the allegations made by the officer and explained that her relative had a poor relationship with her and did not have accurate knowledge of her marriage.  At the interview, we argued with the officer questioning the reliability of the statements obtained without further corroborating evidence.  We also questioned the motives of the statements made given the strained relationship between our client’s wife and her relative.   The officer proceeded to interview our client.  Our client and his wife passionately conveyed that their marriage was entered in good faith. By the end of the interview, the officer had changed his mind and approved our I-130 petition.  However, the officer issued a request for evidence at the end of the interview asking for a new joint sponsor.  Our client was able to find a new joint sponsor, and we responded to the request for evidence in September 2010.

 

We made several inquiries with the local CIS office to ask about the status of the case, and we advised our client also to make Infopass appointments with CIS to speak with the adjudicating officer.  The adjudicating officer gave our client a deadline by which he said that a decision would be made on the case. Several days prior to the deadline, the local CIS office informed us that further documents would be requested.  The CIS office also made one more phone call to the client’s in-laws.  Several days later, however, we found out that our client’s case was finally approved. Our client finally received his welcome notice in November 2010.

 

Replaced Green Card to Change Name
Location: Columbus, Ohio

Our client from Korea has been a permanent resident for twenty-five years. Her green card expired more than ten years ago. In the meantime she divorced her US citizen husband, remarried, and changed her last name. She wanted to travel back to Korea but had the fear that she might not be allowed to enter back into the US. We filed her case with USCIS explaining the nature of the issue. USCIS issued her a renewed permanent resident card in less than 3 months

Replacing Green Card - Initial Card Never Received
Location: Cleveland, Ohio

A Citizen of Belarus won the Diversity Visa (Green Card) Lottery and was admitted into the United States on March 16, 2009. Upon her entry, she notified the Customs and Border Patrol Officer of a change of address from one location to another. She was told that she will receive her Green Card in the mail within 3 weeks. Five months passed by and she still had no card in the mail. The applicant went to the local immigration office where she was refused an I-551 stamp (proof of permanent residence status until a green card is received). She approached us in regards to her case. We accompanied the applicant to the local USCIS office where under our representation the USCIS officer stamped our client's passport with an I-551 stamp. We then filed an I-90 application requesting that USCIS waive the filing fee and issue the Green Card. The case was approved in three weeks.


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Deborah Lee, Esq.
1350 W. 5th Ave., Ste. 314
Columbus, OH 43212

Phone: 614-725-5804
Fax: 614-725-5805


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Mon. - Fri.: 9 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Evening by Appointments Only
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