CASE: Marriage-Based Adjustment of Status
NATIONALITY: Philippines
LOCATION: Bell, CA
Our client came from the Philippines on a J-1 in September 2016 to work as a teacher. According to her DS-2019, she was subject to the two-year foreign residency requirement. After her authorized stay period expired, she remained in the United States.
In April 2019, 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 prepared the waiver request through a No Objection Statement (NOS) from the Philippine Embassy in the United States and eventually the EVP in the Philippines.
On June 25, 2019, the J-1 Waiver Application (Form DS-3035) was filed to the Department of State. On September 10, 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 December 9, 2019, the Waiver Review Division issued a favorable recommendation based on the No Objection statement. Eventually, on December 19, 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 July 7, 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 May 6, 2021, our client was interviewed at the Los Angeles, CA USCIS office. Eventually, on September 30, 2022, her green card application was approved.