| Green Card Approved for Same Sex Marriage Adjustment of Status for Laguna Client jnunez We recently received an approval for a marriage-based adjustment of status for a Laguna Beach client. He had been in the US for almost ten years. He was the victim of attorney fraud in another state and he pursued a U visa based on extortion among other crimes. He moved to California and hired another immigration attorney to handle the U visa, but he did not fulfill his promises and the U visa case languished for several years. Originally, he hired me to take over the U visa case. While I was representing him in the U visa case, the laws on same sex marriage changed when the Windsor decision was announced. At that point, I advised that my client and his long-time partner could marry and he could adjust his status to lawful permanent resident. The couple married (as they had wanted to do for some time), and we started the adjustment of status process. A few months later, we attended an interview at the Santa Ana office of USCIS. I was afraid that the age difference between the two men would be problematic, but the officer did not raise serious objections in that regard. She asked my clients standard questions which they were prepared to answer. At the close of the interview the officer advised that she was inclined to approve the case, but she needed to receive the U visa file from the Vermont Service Center of USCIS. She told me Vermont would not transfer an open file, so we should withdraw the U visa case on our own. My client was initially reluctant to withdraw the U visa case, because we did not have any guarantee that USCIS would approve the marriage-based green card. I explained that I trusted the officer not to sabotage us like that and we really did not have many options for keeping the U visa pending while we awaited a decision on the adjustment of status. |  We withdrew the U visa case, and within 60 days the USCIS officer in Santa Ana approved the green card. My client received his conditional resident card this week. Now, he and his husband can live in Laguna Beach and know they do not need to worry about deportation. He can work legally in the US and even visit his family in his home country for the first time in many years. He can introduce his spouse to his family in person as well. If you are in a same-sex marriage and considering the adjustment of status process, contact Nelson & Nuñez to schedule a consultation. Nelson & Nuñez will personally meet with you privately to discuss your options and how we can help. We have worked with many LGBT clients with many different types of immigration cases such as U visas, marriage, domestic violence and asylum. Categories: adjustment of status, green card, I-130, I-485, immigraton attorney, Laguna Beach, LGBT, Orange County, same sex marriage, U visa, visa petition, Windsor |
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I just attended an adjustment of status interview with clients from Costa Mesa. The interview was held in the Santa Ana field office of USCIS. The couple met each other while the husband, a US citizen, was vacationing in Mexico with his family. The wife was working in a restaurant and the two of them began talking. After his vacation ended, they stayed in contact and he visited her in Mexico several more times.
In the fall of 2012, they began discussing the long-term plans for the relationship. In early 2013, he proposed and their two families had an engagement party in Mexico. The husband hired us to help with the fiance visa process, which we started in Spring 2013 when we filed the I-129F. In early 2014, the K-1 visa was approved by the US consulate in Mexico, and the wife arrived in the US shortly thereafter. The couple married within the first 90 days of her arrival, and we filed the I-485 application for adjustment of status shortly thereafter. The Santa Ana field office is processing adjustment of status cases very quickly these days. Within three months of our filing the I-485, the interview went forward. We provided the USCIS officer will substantial evidence to prove that the marriage was entered into in good faith including bank statements, travel itineraries and photos of the large wedding celebration (150 guests). The interviewing officer asked many questions about how the couple met, started dating and decided to get married. After reviewing the evidence and interviewing both spouses, the officer was satisfied that the marriage was entered in good faith by both parties, and he approved the case. The interview lasted about 45 minutes. The wife was granted conditional resident status for a period of two years, which means that she will need to file the I-751 to have the conditions removed two years from now. If you are married or engaged to a non-US citizen and want to help your loved one obtain permanent resident status, contact Nelson & Nuñez to schedule a consultation. Nelson & Nuñez will help you better understand the process and how we can assist you in making everything proceed smoothly. Every year we represent dozens of married or engaged couples and help them decide on which process will best accomplish their goals. Tags: adjustment of status, Costa Mesa, fiance visa, green card, I-129F, I-485, I-751, immigration lawyer, marriage-based, Mexico, Orange County, permanent resident, Santa Ana, USCIS I recently attended an adjustment of status interview for one of my Mission Viejo clients. He entered the US on a visitor visa more than ten years ago. Then, he changed status to an F-1 student visa. In 2009, he met his future wife while registering for classes. The couple dated for almost a year before deciding to get married. Four years later they came to see me seeking help with the adjustment of status process.
We collected documentation to prove that their relationship was entered into in good faith. Three months after we filed the I-130 visa petition and I-485 application to adjust status packet with USCIS, our interview went forward. The interview was handled by a veteran officer that I’ve worked with on several occasions. He was friendly and efficient and asked a handful of questions about how the couple met and how the relationship progressed. Everything went smooth, and, by the end, we received an approval notice. Our client should receive his green card within the next few weeks. Because the couple had been married for over two years at the time of the interview, the husband will receive a permanent resident card without conditions. This means he will not need to file an I-751 petition to remove conditions in two years. He will be eligible to naturalize in three years. If you are considering a marriage-based green card case, contact Nelson & Nuñez to schedule a consultation. Every year we help a dozen or more couples navigate the complicated marriage-based visa process whether the foreign-born spouse lives in the US or abroad. Nelson & Nuñez will personally meet with you to help you better understand the process and how we can help. Categories: adjustment of status, green card, I-130, I-485, immigration lawyer, marriage to US citizen, Mission Viejo, Orange County, USCIS, visa petition I recently attended an interview for a marriage-based adjustment of status for an Irvine client. He entered the US on an F-1 student visa in 2008. He graduated and received his Bachelor’s degree, then pursued a Master’s degree. In 2012, he met his future wife and the couple began dating. They moved in eight months later. Earlier this year, the couple married and came to see me about the adjustment of status process.
We helped them collect the necessary evidence to prove good faith marriage including utility bills, apartment leases and joint insurance among other things. We filed the I-130 visa petition and I-485 adjustment of status application concurrently along with the other required forms and evidence. Within four months, the interview in Santa Ana was scheduled. I prepared them for the interview beforehand and advised them on what to expect. We brought additional evidence to prove good faith marriage when we attended the interview. Everything went smoothly at the interview. My clients knew which questions would be asked and they were calm and prepared. At the conclusion of the interview, the USCIS officer approved the case. Because the marriage was less than two years old at the time the green card was approved, my client will receive a conditional resident card that is valid for two years. He will need to file the I-751 petition to remove conditions in two years. The couple was very pleased with the result. They plan to travel to my client’s home country and have a large wedding in the Catholic Church in a few months. They’re even more excited about the honeymoon. If you are considering the marriage-based green card process, contact Nelson & Nuñez to schedule a consultation. Every year we represent more than a dozen marriage-based green card cases at the Santa Ana, Los Angeles and San Bernardino offices of USCIS. Nelson & Nuñez will personally meet with you to assess whether your case is eligible for adjustment of status or consular processing. Categories: : adjustment of status, good faith marriage, green card, I-130, I-485, Irvine, marriage, Santa Ana, USCIS, visa petition We received another I-751 Approval without an interview. We represented this couple in obtaining the husband’s marriage-based green card in 2011. Because the marriage was less than two years old at the time of the adjustment of status, he was issued a conditional permanent resident card with a two year expiration date. When it came time to petition for the removal of conditions, we represented them again. We provided USCIS with substantial evidence to show their relationship was still viable and entered into in good faith. We provided over a hundred pages of evidence. After only a few months, we received the approval notice for the I-751. Unlike the adjustment of status process in which USCIS must conduct an interview with the married couple, the I-751 process does not require an interview. If the USCIS officer charged with reviewing the I-751 is satisfied that the evidence proves good faith marriage, the officer can waive the interview and approve the case. If the officer remains unconvinced, s/he can schedule an interview. Over the last 18 months, all of our joint I-751 petitions have been granted without an interview. If your conditional permanent residency is expiring in the next six months, contact Nelson & Nuñez to schedule a consultation. Nelson & Nuñez will help you understand the process and assess how we can help you. Categories: : adjustment of status, conditional permanent resident, good faith, green card, I-751, marriage We just received great news that one of our Irvine clients was approved for removal of conditions on permanent residency. We filed the I-751 form with USCIS in late January about ninety days before her conditional green card was set to expire. We provided evidence that the couple lived together and although they do not have any children, we provided documents showing that they’ve worked with fertility specialists. We included over a hundred pages of evidence to support a finding of good faith marriage. We represented these clients with the marriage based adjustment of status process two years ago, so we knew exactly what had been filed previously in their case.
The case was approved without an interview. The couple is happy with the outcome and looks forward to visiting the wife’s family this summer. If you have a conditional green card and the expiration date is set to expire in the next six months, contact Nelson & Nuñez to schedule a consultation. Nelson & Nuñez will personally meet with you to help you better understand the process. Categories: adjustment of status, green card, I-751, immigration lawyer, Irvine, marriage-based, removal of conditions I-824 Granted For Los Angeles Client; Next Step Consular Processing for Daughter in Manila5/28/2014 We recently filed an I-824 for one of our clients in Los Angeles. She was approved for VAWA using an I-360. A couple months ago, she adjusted her status to permanent resident based on VAWA and received her green card. When an alien is approved for VAWA, her dependent minor children become eligible for immigrant visas and green cards. Her daughter still lives in the Philippines, so we filed the I-824 Application for Action on an Approved Case asking USCIS to transfer the file to the National Visa Center (Department of State) so they could forward the case to the US consulate in the Philippines. Then, we can process the daughter’s immigrant visa through consular processing.
We hope the consulate in Manila will receive the file in the next couple months so we can get the daughter reunited with her mother as soon as possible. If you are interested in immigrating a family member to the US from another country, contact Nelson & Nuñez to schedule a consultation. Nelson & Nuñez will personally meet with you during a confidential appointment and help you better understand your options, the process and what to expect. Categories: adjustment of status, consular processing, green card, I-360, I-824, immigration lawyer, Los Angeles, Manila, National Visa Center, VAWA |
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