CASE: Marriage-Based Adjustment of Status

NATIONALITY: Nigerian

LOCATION: Cleveland, OH

Our client is from Nigeria who came to the U.S. on a F-1 Student Visa in December 2016 to pursue his master’s degree in United States.  In February 2018, our client married his current U.S. citizen wife.  He retained our office for his green card application on March 6, 2018. Our firm prepared and filed the I-130 Petition and I-485 Adjustment of Status Application on April 6, 2018. Everything went smoothly and the receipt notices, fingerprint appointment, and work permits all came on time. Prior to the interview, we thoroughly prepared our clients at our office as well. On June 14, 2018, our client was interviewed at the Cleveland USCIS office. Attorney Sung Hee (Glen) Yu also accompanied our clients as well.  Eventually, on June 15, 2018, his green card application was approved.

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CASE: Marriage-Based Adjustment of Status

NATIONALITY: Chinese

LOCATION: Cleveland, OH

Our client is from China who came to the U.S. on an H-1B visa. In May 2017, our client married her current U.S. citizen husband.  She retained our office for her green card application in June 2017. Our firm prepared and filed the I-130 Petition and I-485 Adjustment of Status Application on June 27, 2017.  Everything went smoothly and the receipt notices, fingerprint appointment, and work permits all came on time. Prior to the interview, we thoroughly prepared our clients at our office. On June 4, 2018, our client was interviewed at Cleveland Ohio USCIS office.  Attorney Sung Hee (Glen) Yu from our office also accompanied our clients. Eventually, on June 5, 2018, her green card application was approved.

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CASE: Marriage-Based Petition and Adjustment of status / I-130 / I-485

CLIENT: Vietnamese

LOCATION: Cleveland, OH

Our client came to the United States from Vietnam with a B-2 visitor’s visa in August 2016. Later, she married her current husband, who was a green card holder at the time of filing, in September 2016. Her husband filed an I-130 petition for her under the F2A category in February 2017.

Later, her husband became a naturalized U.S. Citizen in April 2017.

Our client retained our office in April 2017 for her I-485 adjustment of status application. Our office prepared and filed an I-485 adjustment of status application, together with all necessary supporting documents and pending I-130 petition, on April 14, 2017. We let USCIS office know that the pending I-130 petition should be changed to “Immediate Relative” category since the Petitioner became a U.S. citizen. Everything went smoothly and the receipt notices, fingerprint appointment, and work permits all came on time.

Prior to the interview, we thoroughly prepared our clients via conference calls. On May 31, 2018, our client was interviewed at the Cleveland, Ohio USCIS office. Attorney Sung Hee (Glen) Yu accompanied our clients. Eventually, on June 5, 2018, the USCIS approved our client’s green card application.

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CASE: Marriage-Based Adjustment of Status
CLIENT: Canadian
LOCATION: Ohio

Our client came to the United States as a visitor from Canada.  She married her U.S. Citizen husband in January 2018 and retained our office on January 23, 2018 for her adjustment of status application.  Our firm prepared and filed the I-130 Petition and I-485 Adjustment of Status Application on March 1, 2018.  Everything went smoothly and the receipt notices, fingerprint appointment, and work permit all came on time.  Prior to the interview, we thoroughly prepared our clients via conference calls.  On May 25, 2018, our client was interviewed at the Cleveland, Ohio USCIS.  On June 1, 2018, her green card application was approved.

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CASE: Marriage-Based Adjustment of Status

NATIONALITY: Nepalese                                                                                                    

LOCATION: Cleveland, Ohio

Our client is from Nepal who came to the U.S. on a F-1 student visa in 2014. In December 2017, our client married her current U.S. citizen husband.  After she got married, she retained our office for her green card application. Our firm prepared and filed the I-130 Petition and I-485 Adjustment of Status Application on January 19, 2018.  Everything went smoothly and the receipt notices, fingerprint appointment, and work permits all came on time. Prior to the interview, we thoroughly prepared our clients at our office as well. On May 9, 2018, our client was interviewed at the Cleveland Ohio USCIS office. On May 15, 2018, her green card application was approved.

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CASE: Marriage-Based Adjustment of Status

NATIONALITY: Syrian                                                                                                        

LOCATION: Cleveland, OH

Our client is from Syria who came to the U.S. on a J-1 exchange visitor’s visa to pursue his neurology research. His J-1 program was not subject to the INA 212(e) two year foreign residency requirement. In September 2017, our client married his current U.S. citizen wife.  He retained our office on October 2, 2017 for his green card application. Our firm prepared and filed the I-130 Petition and I-485 Adjustment of Status Application on October 27, 2017. Everything went smoothly and the receipt notices, fingerprint appointment, and work permits all came on time. Prior to the interview, we thoroughly prepared our clients at our office. On May 14, 2018, our client was interviewed at the Cleveland Ohio USCIS office. Attorney Sung Hee (Glen) Yu from our office accompanied our clients at their interview as well.  Eventually, on May 15, 2018, his green card application was approved.

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CASE: I-130 / I-485 / J-2 Waiver of Two-Year Foreign Residency Requirement / Over 21-year-old dependent child

NATIONALITY: Honduran

LOCATION: Missouri

Our client is a citizen of Honduras who came to the U.S. on a J-2 Visa in August 1991.  He came with his father who came on a J-1 Visa for his research program in the United States. Both were subject to the two-year foreign residency requirement, meaning they had to go back to their home country for two-years before they can apply for permanent residency or some non-immigrant visa such as the H, L, and O visas. After his father’s J-1 program was completed, his family remained in the United States.

He turned 21 in December 2000. He has U.S. citizen fiancé who can file I-130 petition for him after their marriage is entered. However, because of his two-year foreign residency requirement, our client cannot file his adjustment of status application in the United States without the fulfillment of requirement or the waiver.

Although J-2 dependents cannot independently apply for a waiver, in cases where a J-2 child reaches 21, the Waiver Review Division may consider requests for waivers on behalf of the J-2 dependent.  The Department of State’s policy allows for that process in instances where the J-2 dependent obtains a divorce form the J-1 principal, the J-1 principal dies, or in cases where the J-2 dependent turns 21, which is our client’s case. In fact, our client turned 21 in December 2000.

Our firm was retained to do his J-2 waiver, and on March 10, 2017, the J-2 Waiver application (Form DS-3035 and supporting documents) was filed to the Department of State. We also sent a request to the DOS to be an interested government agency and recommend this waiver based on the fact that our client reached the age of 21 and was not a dependent of a J-1 visa holder anymore.  Eventually, on March 27, 2017, the DOS recommended to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) that our client be granted a waiver. On April 5, 2017, the USCIS issued an I-612 approval notice for our client’s waiver request. After his J-2 waiver was approved, he married his U.S. citizen fiancé.

Once his J-2 waiver was approved, our client retained our office again for his adjustment of status application. Our firm prepared and filed the I-130 Petition and Adjustment of Status Application on December 22, 2017.  Everything went smoothly and the receipt notices, fingerprint appointment, and work permits all came on time. Prior to the interview, we thoroughly prepared our clients through conference calls. On May 15, 2018, our client was interviewed at the Kansas City, MO USCIS office.  The interview went well, and eventually, on the same day of the interview, his green card application was approved.

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CASE: Marriage-Based Green Card (Same Sex Marriage Case)

CLIENT: Nigerian

LOCATION: Cincinnati, OH

Our client came from Nigeria on a J-1 exchange visitor’s visa and currently does her research in the United States. She married (same-sex) her U.S. Citizen spouse in October 2017 in New York.

On June 26, 2013, the U.S. Supreme Court held that restricting U.S. federal interpretation of “marriage” and “spouse” to apply only to heterosexual unions, by Section 3 of the defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), is unconstitutional under the Due Process Clause of the Fifth Amendment. United States v. Windsor, 570 U.S. ___ (2013). After Windsor decision, the USCIS implemented a new policy that the USCIS officer must review immigration via petitions filed on behalf of a same-sex spouse in the same manner as those filed on behalf of an opposite-sex spouse. As long as a same-sex couple is married in a U.S. state that recognizes same-sex marriage, their marriage shall be considered a valid marriage under the immigration law.

Our client contacted our office and retained us on October 4, 2017 for her I-130 petition and I-485 adjustment of status application. Our firm prepared and filed the I-130 petition and I-485 adjustment of status application, together with all necessary supporting documents, on January 4, 2018. Everything went smoothly and the receipt notices, fingerprint appointment, and work permits all came on time.

Prior to the interview, we thoroughly prepared our clients via conference calls. On May 1, 2018, our clients appeared at USCIS Cincinnati Field Office for the interview. The interview went well and our client’s green card application was approved on the same day of her interview.

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CASE: Marriage-Based Adjustment of Status

NATIONALITY: Korean

LOCATION: Newark, NJ

Our client is from South Korea who came to the U.S. on an H-1B visa. In April 2015, our client married his current U.S. citizen wife.  He retained our office for his green card application in April 2017. Our firm prepared and filed the I-130 Petition and I-485 Adjustment of Status Application on May 11, 2017.  Everything went smoothly and the receipt notices, fingerprint appointment, and work permits all came on time. Prior to the interview, we thoroughly prepared our clients via conference calls. On April 17, 2018, our client was interviewed at the Newark NJ USCIS office.  Eventually, on the same day of the interview, his green card application was approved.

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CASE: Marriage-Based Adjustment of Status

NATIONALITY: Cote D’Ivoire                                                                                                        

LOCATION: Cleveland, OH

Our client is from Cote D’Ivoire who came to the U.S. on a F-1 Student Visa in October 2013 to pursue his undergraduate degree in United States.  In May 2017, our client married his current U.S. citizen wife.  He retained our office for his green card application in August 2017. Our firm prepared and filed the I-130 Petition and Adjustment of Status Application on December 21, 2017. Everything went smoothly and the receipt notices, fingerprint appointment, and work permits all came on time. Prior to the interview, we thoroughly prepared our clients at our office as well. On March 13, 2018, our client was interviewed at Cleveland USCIS office. Attorney Sung Hee (Glen) Yu also accompanied our clients as well.  Eventually, on March 20, 2018, his green card application was approved.

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