Megan Pastrana

Does the US Allow Dual Citizenship?

By Megan Pastrana / March 14, 2022 /

Do we allow dual citizenship in the United States? That question usually comes up when an individual is thinking about filing for naturalization to become a United States citizen. The interesting thing about the United States is that the US law does not mention dual nationality or require a person to choose one nationality over…

Read More

221(g) Visa Refusal

By Megan Pastrana / March 10, 2022 /

A 221(g) is a visa refusal under 221(g) of the Immigration Nationality Act which means that the applicant didn’t establish that they were eligible for the visa. The Immigration and Nationality Act is the list of immigration laws and 221(g) is part of the immigration laws and says that a consular officer cannot give a…

Read More

Should I Apply for a Tourist Visa?

By Megan Pastrana / March 10, 2022 /

Is it okay to apply for a tourist visa before I file or while my spouse and fiancé visa is pending? With immigration, there are so many complexities and aspects, so it depends. What it depends upon is your prior immigration history. Have you ever applied for a visa previously? Have you ever violated the…

Read More

Waiver of J1 Visa 2 Year Requirement

By Megan Pastrana / March 8, 2022 /

The J-1 visa is what they call a non-dual intent visa, which means that your intent is to be here temporarily and not long-term. Part of that is a two-year requirement that you have to return to your country. In general, if you have a two-year requirement on your visa itself, it’ll say two-year physical…

Read More

K1 Visa -REQUIRED EVIDENCE – 2022

By Megan Pastrana / March 6, 2022 /

There are three main categories of K1 visa required evidence. There can be other types of evidence and other documents that you might need depending on the specifics of your case but in general, there are three categories of evidence that are required for your fiancé visa petition to show that you’re eligible. 1. You…

Read More

Impact of Mortgage on Affidavit of Support

By Megan Pastrana / March 4, 2022 /

What is the impact of a mortgage on my eligibility to be the sole sponsor for my spouse’s case and how would a mortgage impact the case? Previously, there was a form called I-944 that was in addition to this affidavit of support where immigration wanted to see your debts as well as showing that…

Read More

K1 Visa Wait Times – 2022

By Megan Pastrana / March 2, 2022 /

How long does the fiancé visa process take in 2022? The fiancé visa process involves three applications and two interviews. In each one of those steps, we’re dealing with a different immigration office and each immigration office has its own estimated wait times. This general estimate is a compilation of the estimated wait times for…

Read More

Naturalization – 3 & 5 Year Rule

By Megan Pastrana / February 28, 2022 /

How long does a person have to wait before they can become a United States citizen? Becoming a United States citizen involves a process called naturalization and in general, there is a wait time of three or five years. If you are married to a United States citizen, the wait time for you to become a United…

Read More

Important Tips – Taxes and Immigration | 2022

By Megan Pastrana / February 25, 2022 /

At the beginning of every year, taxes are a big topic. There’s a lot of overlap between taxes and immigration. There are various components of the immigration case that involve taxes. Here are a few important tips on taxes in relation to immigration cases, specifically spouse visa cases. 1. File Your Taxes Jointly If you’re…

Read More

K1 Fiancé Visa – Processing Time Increase

By Megan Pastrana / February 21, 2022 /

Processing times for K1 fiancé visas went up again. It now is saying 9 to 12 months and it’s extremely stressful to see those wait times increase. A lot of you are asking, “Why is this happening? What does this mean for my case?” USCIS hasn’t made an official announcement but immigration, in general, is still…

Read More