Friends in this video, I'm going to give you the juicy details about what we did to help
our client get his green card in seven months through adjustment of status right here in
America.
And also all of this happened guys, during the coronavirus pandemic, that's right between
February 20, 20 and September, 2020, all of this happen.
So watch this video for those details.
I'm also going to tell you seven things that we did, right?
And these are tips that might be helpful to your case as well.
So stay tuned
Guys.
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All right, now let's get into it.
So what happened in this story?
Friends?
Well, let me break it down for you.
It all started in February of 2020 when the client came to our office because they heard
that public charge was going into effect soon and they were eager to file.
And guys, I must say this.
It was crazy, right?
If this is February and you guys remember in February, there was so much hype about
public charge.
I talked about it a lot.
I kept saying to folks, get ready, get ready to get ready because public charge is going
to be a huge game changer and it is, and it is guys.
I still stand by those words.
And so a lot of people were really anxious and immigration lawyers, we're all busy.
We were all busy because people wanted to get their cases filed before February 24th,
2020.
And so this couple came to our office.
I did the consultation with them and we agreed to take the case.
And it's an adjustment of status case because the spouse is in America, on American soil.
The spouse was also concerned because he is Nigerian.
It was right around the time when the ban was placed on immigrant visas for those in
Nigeria.
And so he was concerned about, okay, is this going to impact me as well?
Can I still do adjustment of status?
Although I'm a Nigerian citizen.
And of course I assured him, yes, you can.
We can do it because you're right here in America.
And that ban does not apply to anyone inside America.
So here's some details about this couple.
They had only been married for less than three months at the time, and they came to our office.
So this was a very young marriage, which that they didn't have all of the evidence that
we would have normally like to collect from our clients.
You've seen other videos of mine in which I talk about the fact that you've got approved
bonafide marriage or genuine marriage to show the government that you have the intent of
staying together forever.
And so there's a long list of evidence that the government likes to receive and our clients
didn't have it.
Clients did not have that laundry list, but not to worry.
We were not intimidated by that because we knew how to tell the story of who these people
are and that they have the intent to stay together forever.
So like I said, they didn't have the traditional long list stuff.
Evidence also one of the spouses had been married before.
And so there were some concerns about well timeline issue.
I was married, divorced, and I remarried.
Is it going to look weird or suspicious to the government?
And I said, not to worry because so long as I know, and I can feel on the inside of me
that this is genuine.
I'll be able to tell this story to the government in a way that they could understand that as
well.
So that was an issue that was a concern timeline.
So we dealt with it, we dealt with it.
So here we go with the timeline, they came to us on February 7th, we filed their case
one to say days before February 24th deadline for public charge.
And so I want to say that we filed their case either on that Friday or the Saturday, because
we had a batch of cases that went out on both days.
The new rule went into effect on the 24th, which was a Monday.
So we filed and then got the receipts that the government received their packet on February
26.
So it was fine.
And guys, to our surprise, several months later in August, they got an interview notice.
They were interviewed right after labor day and the green card was then approved on September
22nd.
That is quite an aggressive timeline for this couple.
And for us, we were all concerned about the fact that the coronavirus, they did have an
interview, they did have an interview and I know some couples, they had, their interviews
were waived, but not.
So with our clients, they did have an interview.
So what did we do?
Right guys?
The first thing that we did, right, was we paid attention to an important filing deadline.
We knew that the public charge implementation date was set for February 24th, 2020.
And so we made sure that we prepared this case and all of the other cases, as a matter
of fact way before that.
But things happen as you know, you're working on cases last minute, this document might
be missing.
That document might be missing and a lot of, you know, back and forth with the client.
And it took a while.
And, but we were able to still meet the deadline and we filed before that crucial deadline.
So therefore the client avoided having to go through the more complex process under
public charge.
So they dodged a major, major bullets.
So that's the first thing we did.
So in your case, guys, the next big deadline that's coming up is really October 2nd, 2020.
And that's the day when the new file and fees will go into effect.
And so we're working really hard right now behind the scenes, my, from my team and I
to get our cases prepared so that our clients would also avoid the new fee increase.
That's coming up on October 2nd.
So everything needs to be out of our office by September 30th, really we're going to get
it out.
So pay attention to important filing deadlines.
The second thing that we did right guys, was we provided an explanation for the things
in this case that were red flag things that the government could misinterpret or misunderstand.
We explained it.
We did not try to cover up and hide this negative thing.
No, my strategy is always preemption.
Put it out there in our own words, language and help the government to understand, Hey,
here's what happened.
And therefore, when you put it on the table, that way at that issue is no longer that intimidated
because they now know about it and they have a great explanation about it.
And it takes a little pressure off of you as you're going into that interview, you know,
Hey, they already know this thing.
I've explained it.
And it may or may not be an issue now that you've put it on the table.
So that's the other thing that we did.
So we drafted really terrific declarations explaining the key things that needed to be
explained.
So if you're interested guys in learning about how to put together your own declaration in
a very convincing and persuasive way, download my 10 tips on how to draft a winning declaration,
click the link below, download that document.
It's very short, very easy to read, and you could apply it to your own cases.
You're putting your case together so that you know how to tell your winning story.
Third thing that we did was we focused on storytelling.
You may have heard me say in the past that immigration is all about storytelling.
You've got to paint the picture for the government about who you are, who your partner is, what
the story is, how you guys came together, share the love story, touch on how you share
a life together today.
Very critical.
How do you share a life together today?
So you hit on all of those major issues so that the government will have a good sense
of who you guys are as a human being.
The challenge we've had that are relevant obviously to the immigration process and to
your type of parties and you get it out there and help them to understand who you are.
The fourth thing that we did was we bolstered the area.
What do I mean by that?
I mean that we knew that this couple didn't really have.
And guys, when I say they didn't have much evidence, I mean, they did not have a lot
of evidence because they had only been married for two and a half months.
So they did not have bank statements, a bank account.
They did not have insurance.
They did not have car notes.
All these things, they had no financials, nothing was commingled, right?
It was not like that.
It was the, it was very scanty on the side of the evidence.
But as I always say, it's about quality, not quantity.
It's about quality.
And so we knew evidence don't have a whole lot of that.
What else can we do?
So what did we do?
We had them submit great letters of support, not just a letter of support that says, Oh,
John DOE is a great guy.
And I've known him since kindergarten.
And I highly recommend him for this immigration process.
No, that's not how you do it.
If you're very weak on the evidence side, guys, like our clients were, we knew we had
to have letters of support of major substance from people who, who really knew them, who
really knew their stuff, story, their love story, who could really talk about their marriage
and how that marriage is bonafide.
And so we were able to get together, get those letters from them.
In addition to our own drafted, we drafted great declaration.
Yeah.
And all other explanations and such.
So you've got to understand it's quite about quality and not quantity.
The fifth thing that we did was we prepared the case in such a way that there were no
delays.
What do I mean by that?
I mean that there were no filing errors.
The file was not rejected.
Although nowadays guys, I must warn you.
USC is rejected more cases.
Even when there really is no filing error, a lot of immigration lawyers have been reported
out on this lately.
So you a case may be rejected, even though it was not an error, there was no error on
your part.
Right?
So just be aware of that.
We prepared it in such a way that we included all of the initial required evidence that
the government asks for the affidavit of support.
We had all the tax transcripts, everything we did not miss anything important.
That's the fifth thing we did.
The six thing that we did that really made a difference was we'd prepared the clients
for the interview.
Guys do not skip this crucial step.
You might think, well, I have an interview coming up and I have all of the documents
that they want me to bring in.
I have the originals, I have copies.
I'm all set.
No, you may not be all set.
And if you don't sit down with your partner and thoughtfully, go through some questions
that may come up, or you have not sat down with your lawyer and gone through a mock interview,
you might be blindsided during that interview.
And so don't miss that very crucial step.
So we did meet with our clients.
It was a very short time table for us, but we went, we made it happen.
Anyway, the seventh thing that happened in this case that really made the difference
is the jurors, diction guys, the jurisdiction, they were not in a big city like New York
or LA or Dallas, right.
Or Miami.
They were in a much smaller jurisdiction.
And that made a huge difference with the process and timeline.
You've got to understand that jurisdiction matters.
And so in addition to all of the things I just laid out for you, jurisdiction will make
a difference.
Now, I must say this, that even though they're in a smaller jurisdiction, the field office
is it's they're in a smaller jurisdiction.
If the case was not prepared properly to begin with, they could have been delayed at the
national benefits center.
We could have received a request for additional evidence and RFE.
There could have been a host of other things that could have slowed it down, despite the
fact that it's in a smaller jurisdiction.
So that in and of itself is not the slam dunk issue.
No, it's everything taken together and put together.
I should say that makes all the difference in the world.
So guys, I hope you found this video, helpful, share it with other people, subscribed to
McBean immigration TV.
If you have not yet subscribed to it, comment below, let me know which tip you're walked
away with, that you will even apply to your own situation.
And also guys, don't forget to download my tips on how to write a winning declaration.
I will see you in the next one.
Thanks so much for watching.
Bye bye.