Real Life Stories

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Old Priority Date on New Employer’s Petition

Husband and wife, Jon (left) and Jen (center), were working for an employer who agreed to sponsor their employment petition. However, the work became increasingly difficult that their quality of life suffered, making the couple quit their jobs. Faced without a sponsor, no jobs, and two deaths in the family that they could not go home for, was a tremendous ...
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Admitting Drug Use: Lifetime Ban Lifted

Joyce (center) petitioned her fiancé, Ronald (left), in 2006. However, while the K-1 petition was approved in 2007, his visa was denied due to Ronald’s admitting to drug use to the doctors at St. Luke’s. He was then banned for life from entering the U.S. In 2011, leading U.S. Immigration Attorney Michael J. Gurfinkel (right) was able to convince the ...
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Domicile: Children’s Visas Issued When Father Moves Back to U.S.

Cathlene (left) and Corinne (2nd from left) were petitioned by their U.S. citizen father while he was living in the Philippines in 2017. By law, a petitioner must be “domiciled” or living in the U.S. in order for family members to be issued immigrant visas. Since the father was still residing in the Philippines, the Embassy refused to issue the ...
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Child Status Protection Act

Age-Out “Child” gets Green Card through Child Status Protection Act (CSPA) Paolo (left) was only a small child when his U.S. citizen aunt petitioned his father. But when the priority date became current and Paolo went to the U.S. Embassy in 2015, his immigrant visa was refused because he had “aged out.” He then consulted with the law offices of ...
Humanitarian Revalidation

Humanitarian Revalidation

Green Card Approved Despite Petitioner’s Death Ismael (left) was petitioned by his father back in 1996. He patiently waited for his petition to be current. However, when their mother passed away in 2009, their father’s health started to deteriorate, too. Tatay Samuel died in 2014, and his petition for his son Ismael “died” with him. Ester (3rd from left) promised ...
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Fraud Waiver

Fraud Waiver Approved! Jun (right) was a crewman who jumped ship in 2002. He overstayed in the U.S. for several months, before returning to the Philippines in 2003. In 2007, his mother petitioned him as a single child. Finally, after many years of waiting, Jun was interviewed at the U.S. Embassy, but he was denied due to fraud. Jun’s sister ...
Love Visa

K-1 “Love Visa”

“90-day Green Card” Through L-1 (Fiancée) Visa Wendel (left) met Allen (center) on Friendster, after he went through a period of loneliness and depression, looking for true love. They soon knew they had found “the one.” Before they officially became a couple, they wanted to see each other in person, to make sure that how they felt online, was the ...
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Single, with Date of Marriage on Children’s Birth Certificates

Single parent able to bring children to U.S. despite “Date of Marriage” on their Birth Certificates Mike (2nd from left) was petitioned as “single” by his mother and wanted to bring his children with him to the U.S., but his mother said, “leave the kids behind,” since their birth certificates had a date of marriage. Unfortunately, that decision resulted in ...
Same-Sex Marriage

Same-Sex Marriage

Green Card through Same-Sex Marriage For Jonathan (left), love conquers all. He was visiting friends in the U.S. to take a break from a recent upheaval in his life when he met his future husband. He then quickly gave up his life and career in the Philippines to be with the one who “completes” him. He got married with his ...