CASE: I-130/I-485
NATIONALITY: Philippines
LOCATION: Covington, TX
Our client came from the Philippines on a J-1 in August 2016 to work as a teacher. Based on her DS-2019, she was subject to the two-year foreign residency requirement.
In January 2018, she married her U.S. citizen husband and later on consulted with our firm for her J-1 visa waiver prior to applying for adjustment of status. If someone is subject to the two-year foreign residency requirement, he or she cannot get a green card in the United States until he or she fulfills the requirement or obtains a waiver.
Upon retention, our office promptly prepared a waiver request through a No Objection Statement (NOS) from the Philippine Embassy in the United States and eventually the EVP in the Philippines.
On November 27, 2019, the J-1 Waiver Application (Form DS-3035) was filed to the Department of State. On December 16, 2019, our office sent our client’s materials to the Waiver Review Committee in Manila, Philippines. Then, the Waiver Review Committee forwarded the materials and favorable recommendation to the Philippine Embassy in D.C. who eventually issued a No Objection Statement.
On May 5, 2020, the Waiver Review Division issued a favorable recommendation based on the No Objection statement. Eventually, on May 12, 2020, the USCIS issued an I-612 approval notice for the waiver.
Once her J-1 waiver was approved, our client retained our office again for her adjustment of status application. Our firm prepared and filed the I-130 Petition and I-485 Adjustment of Status Application on May 15, 2020. Everything went smoothly and the receipt notices, fingerprint appointment, and work permits all came on time. Prior to the interview, we thoroughly prepared our clients through conference calls. On April 6, 2021, our client was interviewed at the Louisville, KY USCIS office. The interview went well, and eventually, on the same day of her interview, her green card application was approved.