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Evidence of Prior Fraudulent Marriage Precludes Approval of Subsequent Marriage-Based Green Card Petition

The Board of Immigration Appeals ruled that substantial and probative evidence that a prior marriage was fraudulent and entered into for the purpose of evading the immigration laws justifies the denial of a subsequent green card petition. This applies if the first green card petition was denied because of insufficient evidence of a bona fide maritage.

Please note that this article does not constitute a legal advice.  If you would like to obtain a marriage-based green card or consult how this decision may impact you and your case, call our experienced marriage green card attorney at 480-425-2009 or schedule your consultation online.

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How can an undocumented immigrant get legal status in the US?

Some undocumented foreign nationals may be eligible for asylum if they can establish that because of a well-founded fear of persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group or political opinion, are unable or unwilling to return to their country of nationality, and are unable or unwilling to avail themselves of the protection of that country.

Foreign nationals in removal proceedings may be eligible for cancellation of removal if (i) they have been physically present in the US for a continuous period of 10 years, (ii) have been persons of good moral character for 10 years, (iii) have not bee convicted of certain offenses, (iv) establish that removal would result in exceptional and extremely unusual hardship to US citizen or legal permanent resident spouse, parent or child and (v) warrant a favorable exercise of discretion.

Persons who: (i) have suffered substantial physical or mental abuse as a result of having been a victim of certain criminal activity (such as murder, rape, kidnapping, domestic violence), (ii) possess credible and reliable information establishing that (s)he has knowledge of details concerning the criminal activity, (iii) have been helpful, are being helpful, or are likely to be helpful in the investigation or prosecution of criminal activity and (iv) criminal activity occurred in the US or violated a US federal law that provided for extraterritorial jurisdiction may qualify for U visa.

Certain persons are allowed to apply of adjustment of status notwithstanding the fact that they entered without inspection, overstayed, or worked without authorization if: they (a) are beneficiaries of a labor certification or visa petition filed on or before January 14, 1998; or (ii) are beneficiaries of a labor certification of visa petition that was filed after January 14, 1998 but on or before April 30, 2001, and were physically present in the US on December 21, 2000.

Undocumented immigrant’s spouse, adult child or parent who are US citizens may petition for their legal permanent resident status.

Temporary protected status (TPS) is a temporary benefit to certain nationals of designated countries due to conditions in the country (such as ongoing armed conflict, an environmental disaster, or an epidemic or other extraordinary and temporary conditions) that temporarily prevent the country’s nationals from returning. Countries currently designated for TPS are El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, Nepal, Nicaragua, Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan, Syria and Yemen.

Undocumented persons who demonstrate that the (i) they came to the US before reaching 16th birthday, (ii) were physically present in the US on June 15, 2012, (iii) have continuously resided in the US since June 15, 2007, up to the present time, (iv) entered without inspection or were out of status on June 15, 2012, (v) were under the age of 31 on June 15, 2012, (vi) are currently in school, graduated or obtained a certificate of completion from high school, obtained GED certificate or are honorably discharged veterans of the Coast Guard or US Armed Forces may qualify for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA).

Please note that this article does not constitute a legal advice.  We simplified the law to outline some of the options to consider for undocumented immigrants to get legal status in the US. If you would like to obtain legal status in the US, call our experienced immigration attorney at 480-425-2009 or schedule your consultation online.

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What are the income requirements for marriage green card?

In order to obtain a green card (legal permanent resident status), the green card applicant must submit an affidavit of support by a sponsor.   The sponsor must be a US citizen or legal permanent resident, 18 years of age, domiciled in the and have an income 125% above the federal poverty line. In 2020, an income 125% above the federal poverty line for a household of 2 people is $21,550, for a household of 3 people $27,150 and for the household of 4 people is $32,750.   The income of certain household members may be included.  If the sponsor cannot meet the minimum-income requirements, (s)he may provide evidence of assets that are readily available or seek a joint sponsor.  The affidavit may not be necessary if the green card applicant already has 40 quarters of earnings in the US.     

Please note that this article does not constitute a legal advice.  We simplified the law to outline one aspect of the marriage green card process.  If you would like us to obtain a marriage green card, call our experienced marriage green card attorney at 480-425-2009 or schedule your consultation online

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Can you get a permanent marriage green card if you get divorced?

?I am seeing this question often.   Sometime after the marriage green interview, the conditional green card holder contacts my office and tells me that the marriage is not working out for numerous reasons.  It may be a physical or emotion abuse, infidelity, etc.   The conditional green card holder is worried what will happen with his or her permanent green card.

One example is a client of mine who was planning to relocate to live with her new husband in his city of residence.   Having three children, this move required a lot of coordination – finding a job, schools for her kids, saving money, etc.  When she was finally ready to move, she found out that her husband found someone else.  At the end, I was still able to get her the permanent green card because she entered into a marriage in good faith.

As long as the marriage was entered in good faith, the conditional resident may have her or his conditions removed and get her or his permanent green card. 

Please note that this article does not constitute a legal advice.  We simplified the law to outline one aspect of the marriage green card process and removal of conditions on residence.  If you would like us to obtain a marriage green card or need help with the removal of conditions on residence, call our experienced marriage green card attorney at 480-425-2009 or schedule your consultation online

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Fiancé visa during COVID-19 pandemic

We started this process when a US citizen came to my office a year ago to petition for her fiancé in the Middle East.  They met online and have been communicating remotely for several years.  Last year, her fiancé traveled to the US and they met in person, which allowed us to file the petition for her fiancé.  It took only 3 months to have the petition approved by the USCIS.  Then, the case was sent to the National Visa Center and in four weeks the National Visa Center sent the case to the US Embassy in Jerusalem.  The interview was scheduled in 10 weeks and the visa was approved.  Then, the US Embassy put the case in administrative processing. At the end, the fiancé visa was issued, the fiancé entered the US and just married his fiancée and we are getting ready to file the adjustment application. 

Please note that this article does not constitute a legal advice.  We simplified the law to outline the marriage green card process and discuss the processing time of the marriage green card. If you would like to discuss if you may qualify for a marriage green card, call our experienced marriage green card attorney at 480-425-2009 or schedule your consultation online

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How long does it take to get a marriage green card?

The marriage green card process is usually a very happy process. The newlyweds are excited and full of expectations for their happy lives together. The process is different if the foreign national is already in the US or if the foreign national is still in a foreign country.

If the foreign national spouse is still living in a foreign country, the process
starts with filing of a petition for the foreign national spouse. The average processing time to have the petition approved is now 6 – 7.5 months. Once the petition is approved, it’s sent to the National Visa Center, which takes approximately 30 days. The National Visa Center will need some documents to be submitted and the immigrant visa application needs to be filed. Once the National Visa Center receives all documents, it sends the case to the US Embassy or Consulate for an interview. The time it takes to schedule the interview depends on the US Embassy or Consulate. The interview is usually scheduled within a few months. Some US Consulates take longer to schedule an interview, for example in Ciudad Juarez in Mexico it is taking 6-8 months to have the interview.

If the foreign national is already in the US and is eligible for an adjustment of status, the processing time depends where (s)he lives. For example, in Phoenix, the average processing time to adjudicate the adjustment application is now 9.5 -29. months.

Please note that this article does not constitute a legal advice.  We simplified the law to outline the marriage green card process and discuss the processing time of the marriage green card. If you would like to discuss if you may qualify for a marriage green card, call our experienced marriage green card attorney at 480-425-2009 or schedule your consultation online

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Why hire an Immigration Attorney?

Because so much information is available online, you may feel that you can figure out what you need to do using Google and other online resources. Also, there is a misperception that immigration is about filling forms and submitting simple paperwork. While you can certainly gain knowledge of different visa and green card categories and forms to fill, keep in mind that there is lots of misinformation on the Internet, some information may be outdated or would not apply in your case. Immigration law is constantly changing. Even a minor regulatory or policy adjustment affects thousands of people. You may not be aware how the latest policy change, order or decision affects your case.

An experienced immigration attorney is up-to-date with all the government rules, policies, regulations, and various other local laws that may affect your case. His or her extensive experience and holistic view of even complex situations make him or her the best asset for you and can make a profound difference for you and your life.

We regularly advise clients who have already filed applications on their own with inadvertent mistakes that caused serious consequences. They may have filed a wrong form, missed a deadline, received a denial following a Request for Evidence that could have been easily addressed, or filed for visa, green card or naturalization when they were ineligible and face the threat of removal. One simple mistake on the form may be interpreted by the US Citizenship and Immigration Services as misrepresentation or fraud with serious consequences. Your one mistake can make the process more complex and can even prevent your from ever achieving what you were trying to apply on your own (e.g., children may reach certain age, deadline is missed, etc.).

An experienced immigration attorney can get you the result that sometimes you would not be able to get on your own. An experienced immigration attorney can save you money, time, frustration, and anguish in dealing with a much harder case on your own. You have someone on your side ready to answer your questions, guide you and help you in every step of sometimes long and complex immigration process.

An experienced immigration attorney evaluates your situation, determines your eligibility and the best process to take to achieve your immigration goal, knows what forms you will need, how to fill the forms accurately, what documents to submit and how to best present your case . Therefore, when you hire an experienced immigration attorney, you will have peace of mind that this life-changing immigration process will be achieved successfully without unnecessary delays. In addition, unlike document preparers and various online immigration service providers, immigration lawyers have a professional and ethical obligations to ensure that they
competently provide legal services to you.

If you would like to discuss how we can help you achieve your dream of legally living and working in the U.S., call an experienced immigration attorney at (480) 425-2009 or contact us through our website to schedule a consultation.

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Irena Juras Gets Dreamer her Green Card

A woman that has been brought to the United States from Mexico when she was 3 years old (let’s call her the “Dreamer”) came to my office with her husband who is a U.S. citizen. They had been married for 2.5 years and have three children born in the United States. We discussed the Dreamer’s options and the Dreamer has decided to request the Consideration of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (“DACA”). She had a high school diploma and met the residency and other requirements for DACA approval. DACA was approved and she received her work authorization. Then, we filed a petition with the Dreamer’s husband as the petitioner. The petition was accompanied by supporting documents sufficient to rebut the presumption of marriage fraud. The petition was approved. Meanwhile, the Dreamer’s mother in Mexico was seriously ill and we applied for advance parole to allow the Dreamer to travel to Mexico to visit her mother. The advance parole was approved and the Dreamer traveled to Mexico, visited and helped her mother and entered the United States legally. Once the Dreamer entered the U.S. legally and met all other requirements for legal permanent residency, we filed her green card application. The application processing time in Phoenix is now more than one year. Finally, we attended an interview with the Dreamer and her husband, the application was approved and her green card has arrived. It was nice to see the happiness in her eyes to finally feel relieved that at age of 31 after living in the United States for 28 years illegally in fear, she does not have to worry that she will be deported and taken from her family. She is very appreciative for my help in guiding her through this process!
If you are facing similar circumstances or know someone else facing similar circumstances, call the immigration attorney Irena Juras at 480-425-2009 or reach us via email to schedule a consultation to discuss how we can help you!

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Marriage Green Card

Juras Law Firm receives calls from U.S. citizens all the time sharing with us very exciting news that they have married or are considering marrying a person who is not a U.S. citizen. They want us to represent them in the process of sponsoring their new spouse for a green card (U.S. permanent residence) based on marriage. Since there is lots of fraud in the area of applying for a green card based on marriage, there is a presumption of fraud. We help them rebut that presumption and make sure that the new spouse will not face negative consequences based on misrepresentation. There are two groups of spouses. First, the spouses that are already in the United States. Second, spouses still living in their home country. The spouses already in the Unites States may have another type of visa. Depending on the case, we help them establish that the marriage is bona fide through documentation and representation at the interview. They may be able to get their marriage green card without leaving the United States. Spouses seeking green cards based on a marriage that has entered the U.S. without authorization may need to get a waiver of illegal presence. We help them establish an extreme hardship to the U.S. citizen spouse if they are not allowed to stay in the United States. Once the waiver is approved, the final step is to schedule an interview at the U.S. Embassy or Consulate. The second group of spouses is spouses who are still living in their home country and want to apply for a green card based on marriage to a U.S. citizen. They are going through a two-step process. The first step is to establish that their marriage is bona fide and second is to attend an interview at the U.S. Embassy or Consulate in their home country. If you are considering applying for a green card based on marriage and want to make sure to minimize the time apart and avoid any negative consequences associated with the process, call us today at 480-425-2009 or contact us via our website and schedule a consultation today!