The Nunez Firm

Obama’s new immigration policy: I-601A Waivers

As part of President Obama’s new immigration policy, the I-601A provisional waiver process will be expanded to include spouses and children of LPRs.  Additionally, the definition of extreme hardship will be expanded and clarified.

Deferred Action for Parents (DAP) Program Announced by President Obama

Parents of U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents (of any age) who have been continuously present since 1/1/10, and who pass background checks and pay taxes, will be eligible to apply for deferred action, which will be granted for a 3-year period.  The goal is to have this program up and running within 180 days (for applications to be accepted).  Note that parents of DACA recipients are not…

DACA Age Cap To Be Removed Pursuant to President Obama’s Most Recent Policy

Currently, DACA is limited to aliens who were under the age of 31 years old as of June 15, 2012. As part of Obama’s most recent announcement on immigration policy, the age cap will be removed and those aliens who meet all other requirements will be allowed to apply for deferred action and receive work authorization.

Naturalization Approved for Los Angeles Client After Years Defending Against Deportation

One of my Los Angeles clients was recently approved for naturalization. I began representing her five years ago when she was stopped at the airport and put into removal proceedingsbecause she had two crimes involving moral turpitude from ten years prior. When she was a teenager she was convicted of writing bad checks – misdemeanors. When she tried to enter the US after a trip abroad, she was…

Marriage-Based Green Card Approved on Conditional Basis for Irvine Client

We recently received an approval for a marriage-based adjustment of status for an Irvine client. She entered the US on a K-1 fiance visa earlier this year and the couple married shortly after that. We filed the adjustment of status packet with substantial evidence to prove the marriage was entered into in good faith.

The couple met through friends a few years ago. She was living in Mexico, and my…

Green Card Approved for Same Sex Marriage Adjustment of Status for Laguna Client

We recently received an approval for a marriage-based adjustment of status for a Laguna Beach client. He had been in the US for almost ten years. He was the victim of attorney fraud in another state and he pursued a U visa based on extortion among other crimes. He moved to California and hired another immigration attorney to handle the U visa, but he did not fulfill his promises and the U visa…

Permanent Resident Status Approved for Santa Ana Couple After 20 Years

We recently received approvals for a husband and wife to obtain their permanent resident green cards. They entered the US in the early 1990s. The wife entered on a visitor visa. The husband entered without inspection (EWI). The wife worked as a cook for many years and her employer filed a labor certification for her in the late 1990s. For many years, she tried to convert the labor certificationin…

I-751 Waiver Approved for Huntington Beach Client

We recently received an approval for one of our Huntington Beach clients. She was married to a US citizen and obtained her conditional resident status through the marriage. The couple was married for over three years when the husband became more controlling and emotionally abusive. He objected to his wife working and going to school. He expected her to be his sexual pet that would succumb to his…

Marriage Based Green Card Approved Based on Adjustment of Status for Costa Mesa Client

I just attended an adjustment of status interview with clients from Costa Mesa. The interview was held in the Santa Ana field office of USCIS. The couple met each other while the husband, a US citizen, was vacationing in Mexico with his family. The wife was working in a restaurant and the two of them began talking. After his vacation ended, they stayed in contact and he visited her in Mexico…

Today Was a Good Day – After Fifteen Years, Santa Ana Client Approved for Green Card Under INA 245i and I-601 Approved

This morning I attended an adjustment of status interview in Santa Ana. My client, who entered the US in 1999 and has been living in Orange County since then, has waited fifteen years to become a lawful permanent resident. Shortly after arriving in the US with her husband, the husband’s sister filed an I-130 visa petitionon the couple’s behalf. The sister was a US citizen. The wait time for a…

Executive Office of Immigration Review Shifts Priorities for Immigration Court Cases

EOIR has reordered its priorities in the immigration courts to address the current border situation.

The Department of Justice recently announced new priorities in light of the ongoing migrant children crisis along the southern border. The Executive Office of Immigration Review(“EOIR”), which includes the immigration courts and Board of Immigration Appeals, has reordered its priorities in the…

I-130 and I-485 Approved for Mission Viejo Husband of US Citizen

I recently attended an adjustment of status interview for one of my Mission Viejo clients. He entered the US on a visitor visa more than ten years ago. Then, he changed status to an F-1 student visa. In 2009, he met his future wife while registering for classes. The couple dated for almost a year before deciding to get married. Four years later they came to see me seeking help with the adjustment…

Immediate Relatives of Armed Services Members (Active and Veterans) May Be Eligible for Adjustment of Status Despite Illegal Entry Into The United States

The Military Parole in Place process has been in effect for many years. Under the MPIP system, the spouses, children and parents of active duty armed forces members were eligible to adjust status to lawful permanent residency despite illegal entry into the US. As a general rule, any individual who illegally entered the US is ineligible for adjustment of status unless he is 245i eligible. The MPIP…

VAWA I-360 Approved for Mission Viejo Client; Next Step Adjustment of Status to Permanent Resident

We just received an approval for one of our VAWA domestic violence cases. This was the fastest approval I’ve received in the last several (maybe five) years. We filed the VAWA (Violence Against Women Act) I-360 with the Vermont Service Center in late March 2014, and we received the approval less than four months later. In most cases, it takes USCIS a year to adjudicate an I-360 case.

For a VAWA…

Adjustment of Status Based on Marriage Approved for Irvine Client; Green Card Issued

I recently attended an interview for a marriage-based adjustment of status for an Irvine client. He entered the US on an F-1 student visain 2008. He graduated and received his Bachelor’s degree, then pursued a Master’s degree. In 2012, he met his future wife and the couple began dating. They moved in eight months later. Earlier this year, the couple married and came to see me about the adjustment…

Immigrant Visa Approved in Ciudad Juarez based on I-601A Waiver Approval

One of our clients from Idaho re-entered the United States today as a lawful permanent resident after years of living here in unlawful immigration status. He has lived with his wife and children in Idaho for over a decade. They contacted us a couple years ago asking how they might legalize his status. He entered the US without inspection (EWI) over a decade ago. He married his wife many years ago…

Video – Senate Committee Hearing on Southern Border Crisis and Rise in Apprehensions

Video link to Senate Hearings