Client of the Month- March 2018- Yovanny Soto

Client of the Month- March 2018- Yovanny Soto   For March 2018, we want to highlight our clients, Yovanny Soto and Heidi Andrade, and their really cute kids.  On February 7, 2018, Yovanny was admitted to the U.S. as a permanent resident after living in the U.S. without status for 18 years. Since he was a child, Yovanny has worked while going to school to help his elderly parents provide for his 16 siblings.  After his father was murdered in Guatemala, Yovanny fled his home with the hope of safety and a better life.

Walls, DACA and Raids: What has happened in immigration since Trump’s inauguration?

Walls, DACA and Raids: What has happened in immigration since Trump's inauguration? Back in November, we made some predictions about what might occur in a Trump presidency as it relates to immigration.  Generally, we were very pessimistic and presumed that almost all areas of immigration would become more difficult and challenging for immigrants, families and communities.  This has proven to be true, but not in all of the ways we anticipated.  In some areas, such as refugees and admission policies, the administration has been as bad as expected. 

I-601A Provisional Waiver Expansion Announced

The proposed expansion of the I-601A provisional waiver of inadmissibility due to unlawful presence has finally become a reality.  The President announced the expansion of the waiver as part of his November 2014 suite of executive actions designed to ameliorate the harsh results of strict enforcement of U.S. immigration laws. Of course, the heart of those reforms was deferred action for the parents of U.S. citizens, which remains delayed by an injunction imposed by a Texas judge which the Supreme Court punted on. 

Clients of the Month July 2016- Jorge Martinez and Christopher Gallo

Clients of the Month July 2016- Jorge Martinez and Christopher Gallo We are thrilled to announce Jorge Martinez and Christopher Gallo as our July 2016 Clients of the Month.  Jorge is a permanent resident who just returned from Honduras where he obtained his immigrant visa after being approved for an I-601A provisional waiver for hardship to his U.S. citizen husband, Chris. Jorge returned to Honduras after being gone for more than 20 years and was able to hug his mother again and reunite with his extended family. 

October 2015 Client of the Month- Juan Carlos Acajabon Mendez, Provisional Waiver and Visa Granted!

October 2015 Client of the Month- Juan Carlos Acajabon Mendez, Provisional Waiver and Visa Granted! Our client of the month for October 2015 is Juan Carlos Acajabon Mendez.  After receiving an approval of the I-601A provisional waiver, Carlos recently returned from Guatemala, where he received his immigrant visa and entered the U.S. as a permanent resident after more than two decades of living without status in the U.S.  Carlos is the most recent BR client to receive an immigrant visa under the I-601A Provisional Waiver program, which permits individuals with approved immigrant relative petitions to seek a waiver of their “inadmissibility” (due to unlawful presence in the U.S.)

A Good Week at Benach Collopy

A Good Week at Benach Collopy Last week was one of those weeks that makes us happy to be immigration lawyers.  It ended with several families relieved that their personal journeys to legal status in the U.S. are ended and their lives as U.S. residents have begun.  Here are their stories: YA and EF are a married couple from Bolivia, who have lived in the U.S. for well over a decade.  YA quit working because her son, Joshua, has microcephaly. 

June 2015 Clients of the Month- Oscar Molina and Mirian Campos

June 2015 Clients of the Month- Oscar Molina and Mirian Campos Our clients of the month for June 2015 are Oscar Molina and Mirian Campos. Oscar just returned from El Salvador, where he received his immigrant visa and entered the U.S. as a permanent resident after more than a decade of living without status in the U.S. Oscar is the most recent BR client to receive an immigrant visa under the I-601A Provisional Unlawful Presence Waiver program  which permits individuals with approved immigrant relative petitions to seek a waiver of their “inadmissibility” (due to unlawful presence in the U.S.)

Five Things We Have Learned about the I-601A Provisional Waiver Program

Last week, we had another I-601A provisional waiver approved.  This makes us 6 for 6, so far, with a few more pending.  We have learned quite a bit in the past 18 months or so that we have done provisional waivers. Don’t underestimate your own hardship.  We think that people endure a lot of hardship and have grown accustomed to it and accepted it as the normal state of affairs rather than recognizing that things could be better. 

EXECUTIVE REFORMS TO IMMIGRATION: Top Six Changes

EXECUTIVE REFORMS TO IMMIGRATION: Top Six Changes The President’s executive reforms to the U.S. immigration system make a number of very positive changes that have the potential to help millions of people.  Although we have written about various components of the reforms individually, we have summarized six major portions here in one place. Benach Collopy will be offering several free community meetings throughout December and will be offering reduced fee consultations for people who may benefit from these reforms. 

EXECUTIVE REFORMS: Expansion of I-601A Provisional Waiver Program

Another positive development included in the President’s administrative reforms to U.S. immigration laws is the proposed expansion of the provisional waiver program, which the President initiated in 2013.  The provisional waiver, as initially introduced allowed the spouses and children of U.S. citizens to seek a waiver of inadmissibility for the three and ten year bars due to unlawful presence to seek a waiver in the U.S.