CASE: I-130/I-485
NATIONALITY: Philippines
LOCATION: Richmond, TX
Our client came from the Philippines on a J-1 in September 2015 to work as a teacher. She was subject to the two-year foreign residency requirement.
In June 2017, she got married to 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.
On December 3, 2018, the J-1 Waiver Application (Form DS-3035) was filed to the Department of State. On June 12, 2019, our office sent our client’s apostilled materials to the Waiver Review Committee in Manila, Philippines. 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 September 24, 2019, the Waiver Review Division issued a favorable recommendation based on the No Objection statement. Eventually, on September 26, 2019, 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 December 4, 2019. 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 1, 2021, our client was interviewed at the Houston, Texas USCIS office. The interview went well, and eventually, on April 2, 2021, her green card application was approved.