CASE: N-400 (Citizenship / Naturalization)

APPLICANT: Ecuadorian

LOCATION: Cleveland, OH

Our client contacted us in January 2017 to seek legal representation for his naturalization and citizenship N-400 application. He came to the United States from Ecuador and obtained his green card in January 2008. He had a “physical control of vehicle while under the influence” conviction in 2015 and was wondering if this will be a problem regarding the 5-year “good moral character” requirement for citizenship. We explained that we have to explain that he had good moral character despite this, and promised that we’ll submit a brief to the local CIS once the interview is scheduled.

Once retained, his N-400 application was filed on February 13, 2017 with all supporting documents. Prior to his citizenship interview, our office prepared him at our office. We prepared the said “good moral character” brief and submitted it before the interview, and also at the interview in person.  On May 9, 2017, our client appeared at the Cleveland, OH USCIS office for his naturalization interview. Attorney Sung Hee (Glen) Yu accompanied our client as well. Our client answered all questions correctly and passed his naturalization and citizenship interview. Eventually, his application was approved on May 30, 2017. His oath taking is scheduled in which he will become a naturalized U.S. Citizen.

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CASE: I-130/I-485 Marriage Based Adjustment of Status

NATIONALITY: Korean

LOCATION: Durham, North Carolina

Our client was a citizen of South Korea who came to the U.S. on a J-2 Visa in 2007.  He came with his mother who came on a J-1 Visa for her 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 our client came to the United States, he completed his high school and was admitted to the University to pursue his bachelor’s degree. He changed his status from J-2 to F-1.

He turned 21 in 2011. He would like to get a waiver because his prospective employer will file an I-129 petition for our client’s H-1B visa. However, because of her two-year foreign residency requirement, our client cannot change his status 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 March 2011.

Our firm was retained to do his J-2 waiver, and on July 12, 2016, 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 August 1, 2016, the DOS recommended to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) that our client be granted a waiver.  On January 25, 2017, the USCIS issued an I-612 approval notice for our client’s waiver request.

While we were pursing his J-2 waiver case, our client married to his U.S. citizen wife. 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 February 14, 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 as well. On May 25, 2017, our client was interviewed at the Durham, North Carolina 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: PERM Labor Certification    
EMPLOYER: Dental Group in Cleveland, OH
BENEFICIARY: Syrian Dentist

Our client is from Syria, who is currently working in the United States as an associate dentist under Temporary Protected Status (TPS). His current employer was willing to do an immigration petition for him, second-preference. Our client has a Doctor of Dentistry degree in Syria which is evaluated as an equivalent degree of Doctor of Dental Surgery degree the United States. He also has a license to practice dentistry in the state of Ohio. After talking to our client, our firm concluded that his employer can petition him as an associate dentist. Based on our client’s educational, professional and work background, our office determined that he is clearly eligible for EB-2 classification.

Prior to filing PERM, our firm prepared the prevailing wage request, job order, advertisements, internal job posting, recruitment report, and all other steps which are important pre-PERM filing. Take note that PERM could be filed at least 60 days from the job posting date or 30 days from the last ad. On August 29, 2016, the prevailing wage request was filed.  After we obtained Prevailing Wage determination, our office filed the job order on December 22, 2016.  On March 3, 2017, we promptly filed PERM.  Eventually, on May 24, 2017, the PERM Labor Certification was approved – an EB2 position for the Syrian beneficiary. Now our client can file the I-140 petition.

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CASE: J-1 Waiver of the Two-Year Foreign Residency Requirement, No Objection Statement

NATIONALITY: Malaysian

LOCATION: Sydney, Australia

Our Malaysian client came to the U.S. on a J-1 Visa in August 2010 to pursue his undergraduate degree. He completed his Bachelor’s program and promptly left the United States. In September 2016, he came back to the U.S. on a valid J-1 visa as a short-term scholar in California. However, his J-1 visa made him subject to the two-year foreign resident requirement.  His work and training program in the U.S. enhanced our client’s interest in his field, and he would like to gain employment in the U.S. beyond his J-1 time.  However, due to the two-year foreign residency requirement, he had to obtain a waiver first before he could change his current status in the United States.

After he retained our firm, we prepared and filed a waiver request through a No Objection Statement (NOS) from the Malaysian Embassy in the United States.  Our office contacted the Malaysian Embassy in Washington D.C. to make sure we knew all the requirements needed for their office to issue a no objection statement.  The Embassy requested different documents including a statement of reason for the waiver.

On November 18, 2016, the J-1 Waiver (Form DS-3035) Application was filed to the Department of State.  We also sent a request to the Malaysian Embassy to issue a No Objection Statement and recommend this waiver based on the fact that our client would have been eligible to file a change of status application but for the waiver.

The Malaysian Embassy eventually issued a No Objection Statement for our client, and sent this letter to the State Department’s Waiver Review Division. The Waiver Review Division issued a favorable recommendation based on the No Objection statement. The CIS then issued a receipt and an I-612 approval notice on May 4, 2017.  

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CASE:   Immigrant Visa Approval / I-601A Hardship Waiver of Inadmissibility

APPLICANT / BENEFICIARY: Guyanese

LOCATION: Albany, NY / Georgetown, Guyana

Our client came to the United States from Guyana in 2005 on a C1/D crew visa. He married his U.S. citizen wife in 2007.  Thereafter, his U.S. Citizen wife filed an I-130 petition for him in 2008. This I-130 petition was approved on November 23, 2009.

However, our client cannot file for adjustment of status application due to his ground of inadmissibility (entry without inspection and admission as a crewman). He needs a waiver of inadmissibility to become a green card holder.

Under current law, immediate relatives of U.S. citizens who are not eligible to adjust status in the United States must travel abroad and obtain an immigrant visa. Individuals who have accrued more than 180 days of unlawful presence while in the United States must obtain a waiver of inadmissibility to overcome the unlawful presence bars under section 212(a)(9)(B) of the Immigration and Nationality Act before they can return to the United States

In 2013, the USCIS announced a new policy called the provisional unlawful presence waiver. Beginning March 4, 2013, certain immigrant visa applicants who are spouses, children and parents of U.S. citizens (immediate relatives) can apply for provisional unlawful presence waivers before they leave the United States. The provisional unlawful presence waiver process allows individuals, who only need a waiver of inadmissibility for unlawful presence, to apply for a waiver in the United States.

The new process is expected to shorten the time U.S. citizens are separated from their immediate relatives while those family members are obtaining immigrant visas to become lawful permanent residents of the United States.

INA § 212(i) provides for a discretionary waiver of the entry without inspection inadmissibility ground. To qualify for the waiver, the alien must establish that his or her US Citizen spouse would suffer extreme hardship if the alien were denied admission. INA § 212(i)(1). In addition to the equities presented, the USCIS may consider the nature of the inadmissibility ground.

There is a seminal BIA case that deals with this waiver.  In Matter of Cervantes, 22 I & N Dec. 560 (BIA 1999), the BIA identified the factors to be considered in determining whether a qualifying relative would suffer extreme hardship if the alien were denied admission.  Those factors include: the presence of LPR or USC family ties both within and outside the United States; the conditions in the country to which the qualifying relative would relocate and the extent of the qualifying relative’s ties to that country; the financial impact of departure from the United States; and significant conditions of health, particularly when tied to the unavailability of suitable medical care in the country to which the qualifying relative would relocate.

Our client filed I-601A application before with a different immigration counsel, but it was denied in October 2014. Nevertheless, he had since gathered more evidence, financial and medical, to have a stronger re-file case.

Our client’s I-601A application had a good chance since our client’s U.S. Citizen wife suffers from a great degree of hardship. Moreover, their U.S. citizen children suffer from great degree of medical hardships. Although their U.S. citizen children are not considered as “qualifying relatives” for the I-601A, we argued that children’s medical hardship is also hardship to our client’s U.S. citizen wife, by virtue of having to take care of them (children with medical / special needs) is an extreme hardship to her. In the I-601A brief and supporting documents, our office included extensive medical reports of his children.  We argued that if he was removed from the United States, extreme hardship to his wife is clearly foreseeable and evident.  She would not be able to take care of her own needs and the bulk of their family chores, most importantly taking care of their child. Also, it would be extremely difficult for her and their kids to get the same level of therapy and satisfactory access to medical services in Guyana in case they join our client there.

In our brief, we also argued that our client and his wife have maintained strong family ties in the United States, that his wife will have difficulty in finding the same level of employment in Guyana, and that his U.S. citizen child and his wife will face extreme emotional difficulties if he is removed.

On April 28, 2016, we filed the I-601A waiver application which included the brief in support, his wife’s extensive medical examination records, and other documents that demonstrated hardship to his wife if he is removed from the United States. Eventually, his I-601A waiver was approved on October 13, 2016.

Once his I-601A waiver was approved, he retained our office again for his immigrant visa processing. Our office prepared and filed his immigrant visa application on December 5, 2016. Later, the U.S. Embassy in Guyana informed our office that they scheduled an immigrant visa interview for our client. Our client went back to Guyana to appear at his interview on May 3, 2017. On May 3, 2017, our client appeared at his immigrant visa interview at the Embassy, and the Consulate officer approved his immigrant visa on the same day.

Now, our client can come back to the United States with an approved immigrant visa and he will get his green card in a mail within two months of his entry to the United States.  

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CASE: Marriage-Based Adjustment of Status

NATIONALITY: Indian                                                                                                        

LOCATION: Cleveland, OH

Our client is from India who came to the U.S. on an F-1 student visa. He completed his Bachelor’s program in Cleveland, Ohio.  In December 2016, our client married his current U.S. citizen wife.  He retained our office in January 2017 for his green card application.  Our firm prepared and filed the I-130 Petition and I-485 Adjustment of Status Application on February 8, 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 May 10, 2017, our client was interviewed at the Cleveland Ohio USCIS office. Attorney and Partner Sung Hee (Glen) Yu from our office also accompanied our clients as well. Eventually, on May 18, 2017, his green card application was approved.

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CASE: J-2 Waiver of Two-Year Foreign Residency Requirement Post-Divorce
NATIONALITY: Korean
LOCATION: Ithaca, New York

Our client is a citizen of South Korea who came to the U.S. on a J-2 Visa in August 2013.  She came with her husband who held a J-1 Visa as a researcher.  Both were subject to the two-year foreign residency requirement.

Unfortunately, their marriage did not work outl. Eventually, she got divorced from her ex-husband.  Before she divorced with her ex-husband, she changed her status from J-2 to F-1. However, she was still subject to the two-year foreign residency requirement.  Our client pursued her graduate studies in the United States, and wants to be petitioned by her prospective employer. Nevertheless, she cannot change her status to other non-immigrant visas in the United States because of the 2 year foreign residency requirement.

In March of this year, our client contacted our office. She retained our firm to do her J-2 waiver. On April 4, 2017, the J-2 Waiver (DS-3035) 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 was divorced from the J-1 visa holder.  Eventually, on April 24, 2017, the DOS recommended to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) that our client be granted a waiver. Finally, the USCIS issued I-612 waiver approval notice on May 3, 2017.

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CASE: Immigrant Visa / I-140 (EB-3 Category) / Schedule A / Old Priority Date Retention

EMPLOYER: Nursing / Rehabilitation Center

BENEFICIARY: Filipina Registered Nurse in Cambodia

LOCATION: Beneficiary: Cambodia / Petitioner: Houston, TX

Our client’s beneficiary is a registered nurse from the Philippines licensed in the state of Texas. Currently, she is in Cambodia. Her prospective employer was willing to petition her for a third-preference employment immigrant visa petition (I-140). Our client also has an approved EB-3 I-140 petition with a priority date of June 2007.

Since she is a registered nurse, she is eligible for “Schedule A” classification. The Department of Labor (DOL) maintains a schedule of occupations in its regulations, Schedule A included, for which the individual permanent labor certification procedure is not required. The schedule of pre-certified occupations is referred to as Schedule A, and is included in DOL regulations at 20 CFR 656.10. Based on an occupation’s inclusion on Schedule A, an employer may file an immigrant visa petition (I-140) directly with the (USCIS) without first going to the DOL for a labor certification. Usually, prior to filing I-140 petitions (EB-2 or EB-3 category), the employer must file a Labor Certification to the Department of Labor. However, for Schedule A cases, the employer does not have to go through the labor certification process. The position of Professional Nurses is included in Schedule A.

Also, under 8 CFR 204.5(e):

“Retention of section 203(b)(1), (2), or (3) priority date. A petition approved on behalf of an alien under sections 203(b)(1), (2), or (3) of the Act accords the alien the priority date of the approved petition for any subsequently filed petition for any classification under sections 203(b)(1), (2), or (3) of the Act for which the alien may qualify. In the event that the alien is the beneficiary of multiple petitions under sections 203(b)(1), (2), or (3) of the Act, the alien shall be entitled to the earliest priority date. A petition revoked under sections 204(e) or 205 of the Act will not confer a priority date, nor will any priority date be established as a result of a denied petition. A priority date is not transferable to another alien.”

As mentioned above, our client’s approved I-140 petition was not denied, was actually approved, and was never revoked at any point. Thus, by virtue of 8 CFR 204.5(e), this succeeding I-140 Petition by our client’s prospective employer for our client is entitled to the previous priority date.

Our client has a nursing degree and has several years of related experience. Our firm told her that her potential employer can petition her as a Registered Nurse under the schedule A category. More importantly, since the priority date of her previous I-140 was current, she can eventually apply for her immigrant visa via consular processing. Our office was retained on December 16, 2015 and started on her Prevailing Wage Request.

We filed the I-140 application on March 10, 2016 via premium processing. We included the job offer letter, the notice of filing, her previous I-140 approval notice, and other necessary supporting documents. However, the USCIS issued RFE and alleged that the notice of filing document was not submitted. Though we properly included the notice of filing document at the initial filing of I-140 petition, our office filed the “notice of filing (job opening)” document again on March 25, 2016.  Eventually, on March 28, 2016, the I-140 was approved and it retained our client’s old priority date.  

Once her I-140 was approved, our client retained our office again for her immigrant visa processing. Once we were retained, our office filed the immigrant visa packets to the National Visa Center on July 12, 2016, who in turn forwarded the client’s materials to the U.S. Embassy in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. An interview notice was set for the client at the U.S. Embassy in Cambodia. On May 16, 2017, our client appeared at the U.S. Embassy in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. The interview went well, and the Embassy approved and issued her immigrant visa.

With the approved Immigrant Visa, our client can come to the United States immediately, and she will get her green card within two months of entry.

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

NATIONALITY: Honduran

LOCATION: Missouri

Our client was 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 a U.S. citizen fiancé who can file an 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.

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CASE: I-485 Adjustment of Status based on Approved I-140 (EB-2)
EMPLOYER: Dental Group in Cleveland, OH
BENEFICIARY: Korean Dentist

Our client is from South Korea, who is currently working in the United States as an associate dentist under an H-1B status. His current employer was willing to do an immigration petition for him, second-preference. Our client has a Doctor of Dental Medicine degree in the United States. After talking to our client, our firm concluded that his employer can petition him as an associate dentist. Based on our client’s education and working background, our office determined that he was clearly eligible for EB-2 classification.

Prior to filing PERM, our firm prepared the prevailing wage request, job order, advertisements, internal job posting, recruitment report, and all other steps which are important pre-PERM filing. Take note that PERM could be filed at least 60 days from the job posting date or 30 days from the last ad. On September 29, 2015, the prevailing wage request was filed.  After we obtained Prevailing Wage determination, our office filed the job order on December 10, 2015.  On March 1, 2016, we promptly filed PERM.  Eventually, on July 8, 2016, the PERM Labor Certification was approved – an EB2 position for the South Korean beneficiary.

We then proceeded with the I-140 Petition filing. We submitted the “ability to pay” letter for the I-140 petition application. We included the job offer letter, employer’s tax records, and other necessary supporting documents. The I-140 Petition was filed on August 22, 2016 via premium processing service. Eventually, on August 29, 2016, the I-140 EB-2 Petition for our Korean client was approved without any Request for Evidence (RFE).

Once his I-140 was approved, our office filed an I-485 adjustment of status application for our client and his wife on October 13, 2016. Everything went smoothly and the receipt notices and fingerprint appointment came on time.  On May 9, 2017, the USCIS Nebraska Service Center approved our client’s adjustment of status application.  On the same day, the CIS approved our client’s wife’s adjustment of status applications as well.

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