Case Studies
Case of M.O.
M had been the victim of an incompetent attorney. She had married a US citizen while unlawfully present in the US. The attorney advised her that she could return home — and would not be subject to the 10 year bar to re-entry. This advice was wrong — and M ended up subject to the bar. We represented her in her I-601 application for an immigrant waiver. The application was approved, and she and their baby were able to be reunited with her husband in the US.
Case of R.B.
Mr. B is a citizen of the United States and the owner of a successful American company with a branch outside the US. There he met his future wife. As an expatriate living in a country with a USCIS office, we accompanied him to the USCIS office where he filed an I-130 immigration petition for her. Soon thereafter, she passed her visa interview and entered the US. In total, her entire green card process took three months. Shortly thereafter, with our assistance, she filed an N-400 naturalization application under Section 319(b) of the Immigration and Nationality Act. This provision exempts spouses of US expatriates living abroad from waiting three years and spending 18 months in the US before filing for naturalization. She returned to the US for her naturalization interview and, on the same day, went through her naturalization ceremony becoming a US citizen.
Case of G.L.
In his home country G was the owner of a successful printing business. He decided that he wanted to work as an entrepreneur in the US. Not wanting to start from scratch, he decided to buy a franchise. He contacted our firm. We identified several franchises on his behalf, flew to Florida with him, and with the help of local counsel, concluded a franchise agreement. We prepared the L-1 petition on behalf of his company. After he received his visa, we prepared the EB-13 petition, and it was approved. G received his green card within one year of the purchase of the franchise.
Case of A.V.
A was born in the US in the 1970s while her parents were posted there for work. At the age of 2, she returned back to her home country. Later she married and had a child. Tired of the government and corruption in her home country, she and her entire family decided to immigrate. Fortunately, there is a USCIS office in her home country. We represented A, a US citizen, and prepared petitions on her behalf for her mother, father, husband, and daughter. She filed the petitions with USCIS overseas. After one week, the petitions were approved and forwarded to the consular section. Visa interviews were immediately appointed. We prepared the family for the visa interviews, and within three days of the interviews, they each received immigrant visas. The entire process took less than 2 months.
Case of E.P.
E. immigrated to the US as a refugee. Later he received a green card. After several years, he had to make a trip back to his home country. Unfortunately, he lost his green card and needed to obtain a Transportation Letter to return to the US. When he applied for the Transportation Letter at a USCIS office overseas, he was told by the USCIS officer that as a refugee he should not have returned to his home country and therefore USCIS would not issue to him a Transportation Letter. Without the Transportation Letter and a return trip to the US, he would lose his status as a permanent resident. After E contacted our firm, we were able to intercede on his behalf, contacting the USCIS and ensuring the issuance of the Transportation Letter to him. He was able to return to the US and apply for and receive a new green card.
Case of S.Z.
S was a renowned cardiologist, but his qualifications did not rise to the level of “extraordinary ability”. Compounding the situation, he did not have a job offer from a US employer. We advised him of a special category, EB-2, which allowed individuals with advanced degrees to immigrate if they could evidence that it would be in the national interest of the United States to waive job offer requirement (National Interest Waiver). We contacted several of his cardiologist colleagues in the US, and helped them prepare letters of reference for S. Within four months of submission of the petition, S received an approval. Shortly thereafter, he immigrated to Utah, where he has achieved great success as a cardiologist.
Case of B.B.
B wanted to celebrate his honeymoon in the States. But he was worried because he had a DUI many years ago and was afraid that he would be denied a B visitor visa. We provided detailed guidance to him on accurately completing the DS-160 visa application and the panel physician examination that he would undergo. After a brief visa interview and medical exam, he was issued the visa and was able to travel to the US with his wife.
Case of K.T.
K badly wanted to become a US citizen, but he was concerned that he had not worked for a long time with the employer that sponsored his green card. He had only worked for that employer for 3 months after becoming a permanent resident and was afraid that USCIS would suspect fraud, i.e., a sham job. Plus, he was planning to move to a new state far away at the time he planned to naturalize and was worried about the logistics of his application. We were able to allay K’s concerns and prepare his N-400 naturalization application. Prior to his interview, we conducted an in-depth discussion about the possible issues that could come up at his interview. After a brief naturalization interview, his application was approved. We then helped him obtain a Certificate of Citizenship via the N-600 process for his young daughter.
Case of C.M.
In a tragic story, C, the holder of a green card, returned to his mother country to be with his mother while they awaited news about his father, who had disappeared. As a result, he spent many years outside the US. He rightfully feared that he would not be able to return to the US as a permanent resident, that he would be deemed to have abandoned his residency. We counseled him on the SB-1 Returning Resident Visa process, as well as returning on his green card. He then returned on his facially valid green card. After some questioning by CBP at the airport, he was permitted entry and he resumed his residence and life in the United States.
Case of M.O.
M is a long-time client, whom we helped obtain a conditional and permanent green card through the EB-5 program. She remarried, and wanted to bring her foreign husband to the United States. We then represented her in the F2A category I-130 petition process: documenting their relationship, their respective divorces, and other relevant issues. Her husband also had a long-ago criminal conviction related to a fight that he had gotten in. So at the immigrant visa stage we documented the criminal case and presented a short memorandum regarding the case. Specifically, we were able to argue that the conviction was not for a crime of moral turpitude, and in the alternative, that it satisfied the petty offense exception. There were also issues related to M’s sponsorship: was she domiciled in the US or in the foreign country? Had she been paying taxes as a US resident? Within a week after her husband’s interview, he received his immigrant visa.