Citizenship

June 2022 Client of the Month- YMM

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June 1, 2022
June 2022 Client of the Month- YMM Our client of the month for June 2022 is YMM, who has been a client of Benach Collopy since 2013 and sought and was granted citizenship this winter.  In addition to being one of the loveliest people one could ever hope to meet, YMM is a Spanish national who worked with BC Partner Dree Collopy to seek lawful permanent resident status along with her husband.  She and her husband were granted green cards in 2015 based on an approved extraordinary ability (EB-1) petition. 

A First Look at the Biden/Harris Immigration Bill

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January 20, 2021
A First Look at the Biden/Harris Immigration Bill Hours before he takes the oath of office, President-Elect Joe Biden released details of the immigration bill his administration will send to Congress.  The fact sheet distributed by his office reveals a bold bill that provides a pathway to citizenship for 11 million undocumented people in the US, with priority for Dreamers, TPS holders and immigrant farmworkers.  The bill seeks to make more visas available and expand migration opportunities for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics graduates. 

Is USCIS really not processing green card applications?

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June 14, 2020
Is USCIS really not processing green card applications? Outstanding reporting by Tanvi Misra in Roll Call last week uncovered memos that state that U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Service has “stopped” processing applications for residence.  While we have not seen the memos at issue, we are going to try to piece together what it means.  In our opinion, it is not as nefarious as it seems, though it sure is bad. Let’s start with this basic premise: this administration is resolutely and completely anti-immigrant. 

Client of the Month May 2017- Meher D’Mello

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May 18, 2017
Client of the Month May 2017- Meher D'Mello I have been waiting to write this one for decades.  Meher is one of my favorite people and on May 18, 2017, she will take the oath of United States citizenship in her hometown of New York, NY.  It was a 16 year journey that Meher and I began in our twenties.  We have moved across jobs, law firms, cities, and countries together.  Meher and I both overcame challenges to find enduring peace at this point in our lives. 

Clients of the Month December 2016: Andres and Jazmine St. Claire

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January 6, 2017
Clients of the Month December 2016: Andres and Jazmine St. Claire Our December 2016 Client of the Month is another member of the “Dreamers out of Trump’s reach” club. Andres St. Claire and Jazmine St. Claire are clients of the month after Andres was granted residence seven years after marrying Jazmine Andres St. Claire is a Dreamer who got protection under DACA. But before that, he was in love with Jazmine St. Claire, with whom he shared an immigrant experience and a love of video games and dogs.

Client of the Month November 2016- Mariana Laredo

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November 15, 2016
Client of the Month November 2016- Mariana Laredo We are happy to announce Mariana Laredo as our Client of the Month for November 2016.  In a week full of dread over the results of the Presidential election, Mariana provided a ray of sunshine.  Yesterday, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service formally acknowledged that Mariana was a citizen at birth when she was born in Mexico in 2002 to her Mexican mother, Rosalba and her American father, Gilberto Soto. 

About Adam Crapser and his Deportation

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October 28, 2016
About Adam Crapser and his Deportation I have heard from a lot of people expressing outrage over the fate of Adam Crapser, the Korean adoptee who was ordered deported earlier this week.  I get and share the outrage and would like to help channel the outrage into an increased awareness of the many failures this case represents. If you have not seen the adorable photos of Adam as a young boy or holding his infant child, a brief summary. 

Becoming a U.S. Citizen

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August 8, 2016
Becoming a U.S. Citizen When can I apply? How much does it cost? Can I skip the test if …? Do I have to give up my birth country nationality? These were some of the questions I had about becoming a U.S. citizen for a long time, which if not answered professionally, could lead to a very long path. This is essentially what happened to me and why I delayed the process of becoming a U.S.

Client of the Month February 2016- Rubén Garcia

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February 1, 2016
Client of the Month February 2016- Rubén Garcia Our client of the month for February is Rubén García, a native of Spain and brilliant chef, who recently became a U.S. citizen with the help of his attorney Dree Collopy and paralegal Liana Montecinos.  After training under Martin Berasategui and other notable mentors in Spain, Rubén is now the right-hand man of Washington, DC’s own José Andrés and a key mastermind behind the Think Food Group’s culinary concepts as its Director of Research and Development. 

Clients of the Month November 2015- Allison and Jessica

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November 10, 2015
Clients of the Month November 2015- Allison and Jessica For November 2015, we want to honor two good friends of Benach Collopy (FOBR), Allison Rashkin (left) and Jessica Lang (right), who became U.S.citizens this year.  Allison came to the U.S. from Montreal, Canada and Jessica from Costa Rica.  Both are spinning instructors at Zengo Cycle in Bethesda.  Neither of them had hard cases.  But they are the kind of cases that thrill us at Benach Collopy.