Immigration Law Blog

Megan Pastrana – Immigration for Couples

By Megan Pastrana / October 7, 2022 /

What Problem(s) Do You Solve? The issue that the couples I work with are confronting is having to navigate the labyrinth of the US immigration system and the emotions that come with it.  Many people are surprised to find out that going through an immigration process as a couple is very complex and can oftentimes…

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Update I130 – Lawful Permanent Resident to US Citizen

By Immigration for Couples / February 4, 2022 /

If you were a lawful permanent resident when you first filed your I-130 petition but became a United States citizen through naturalization later in the process, you can and should update your petition to change your status. If you are a lawful permanent resident and you petition for your spouse, that application will have a…

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Translations – When are They Required?

By Immigration for Couples / February 2, 2022 /

If you have relationship evidence that’s in another language other than English like text messages or letters of support, does it need to be translated? Anything that you are sending to USCIS, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, requires that any document not in English are to be accompanied by a translation. If you have…

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How to Submit Photos as Relationship Evidence

By Immigration for Couples / January 30, 2022 /

Relationship evidence has to do with photos. A lot of couples are asking, “I have hundreds of photos, how should I submit them? Should I put them in a word document? Should I just submit them in a scrapbook? Should I tape them on a page and put sticky notes? Should I write on the…

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NVC – Original Document Requirement

By Immigration for Couples / January 27, 2022 /

When you’re at the National Visa Center phase of your case and you’re preparing documents to upload into the CEAC portal, you probably have already logged into your CEAC portal and can see all of those required documents. Part of that document list includes an original marriage certificate and an original birth certificate. National Visa Center…

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NVC Phase – What Documents Are Needed?

By Immigration for Couples / January 25, 2022 /

If you’re at the National Visa Center phase of your case, there’s a whole new list of documents that you’ll need to collect. What documents do you need and is there a standard list? It depends on the country where your interview will occur and on the specifics of your case. Here at Immigration for…

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Age Difference – Impact on Immigration Case

By Immigration for Couples / January 23, 2022 /

If you and your partner have a significant age gap, is that a concern? Immigration does have a list of certain things that they consider to be red flags and having a significant age difference is one of those red flags. The way that immigration looks at any relationship, even for ones with a red…

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Tips on Travel to US While Petition Pending

By Immigration for Couples / January 21, 2022 /

Are you able to travel to the United States if you have ESTA or a tourist visa while your application is pending? Fiancé visa wait times are very long right now. As of January 2021, it’s over seven months, so it is understandable that some couples want to visit each other between those wait times.…

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Important Updates – US Embassy Russia

By Immigration for Couples / January 19, 2022 /

In April 2021, the US embassy in Moscow, Russia had to close and discontinue services due to the government of Russia prohibiting the US embassy in Moscow from employing foreign nationals in any capacity. When that happened, we made announcements and we promised that we would give all of you updates as we had more…

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Waiver of In-Person Consular Interview

By Immigration for Couples / January 15, 2022 /

There was an announcement by the Department of Homeland Security in December of 2021. They, along with the Secretary of State, decided that because they need to get cases moving through, they are going to waive certain types of interviews in limited circumstances. Read: Important Announcement on Waivers of the Interview Requirement for Certain Nonimmigrant…

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