Migration Resource Center recently succeeded in court with a client’s case. Although we like winning cases, what’s truly significant in this case is the profound change it brings to the client’s family and life.
More than two decades ago, this client came to the U.S. as a minor teen with his family, including a sibling with special needs. His parents were trying to find a better life and care for the sibling here in the U.S. It was very difficult for him, to be taken away from the only life he’d known and start over in a foreign country. It wasn’t his decision to make but he made the best of it that he could.
Starting Over
He graduated from high school, then went on to attain a college education. He did what he could to earn money to support himself and his handicapped sibling. He worked, very hard, at odd jobs and eventually started his own business. He built a new life in his adopted country.
As with any normal, ordinary life he one day met and fell in love with a woman. They married and had children. His wife and children were all U.S. citizens. He was not legally in this country. This put his family in a potentially unstable position.
Without legal status, he could be deported. If forced to leave the country he would be caught between two very difficult and very painful choices. He could leave his family behind, including the sibling who depends on his support and care. Or, his family could come with him, uprooting them from the only lives his children had ever known…something he wanted to spare them, knowing first-hand how stressful and difficult it is.
The Legal Case
As a U.S. citizen, his wife initiated a Family Petition on his behalf. MRC filed numerous forms, submitted many documents, wrote memos and briefs, made phone calls, and represented the case at immigration court hearings. The entire process took several years. MRC lawyers and staff were with them every step of the way, to guide them as the case progressed. It was a anxious and stressful time for his family, with their future uncertain.
The case rested on seeking a waiver and adjustment of status before an immigration court. This would
change his status to Legal Permanent Resident. Finally, they appeared before an immigration judge who ruled
in his favor. This is a huge victory for the client who
will establish his future life, legally, with his family in the United States.
A New Life…Not Starting Over
His children are too young, yet, to truly understand what it all means. But the day the judge decided the case was a glorious and momentous day for the client and his wife. It had taken so long and he was so overcome with emotion the day of the trail that it almost didn’t seem it had really happened. A few days after the hearing, he personally wrote a ‘thank you’ note to the judge in which he said: “I have felt as I’ve been in a coma for the last 24 years and you just brought me back to life.”
Migration Resource Center provides affordable immigration legal services.
Call us: 646-609-8805 (NY) or 602-344-9255 (AZ)
Visit our Website: https://www.migrationusa.org/contact/
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