Case #1. A Family torn apart.
USC husband, Mexican wife and two USC kids. They went to an "attorney" in Pinellas and the result of his fine representation was that the wife was banned from the US for ten years with no waiver available. The couple came to hire me. I did not like their chances, but the truth still matters, doesn't it? While we worked on the case the wife and older son lived in Mexico, and the Husband and younger son lived here. This untenable situation was a great motivator.
Among other things we did, we reapplied for permanent residence as the wife of a USC. One year later my client got her interview, where she was able to convince the reviewing officer (thanks to great documentation from the family) that the previous application was wrong, and that she had only been in the US illegally once. Her application for a waiver of the ten year bar based on illegal stay was approved immediately and she returned and is currently living with her husband and two children -- all together like they should be.
Case #2. We are not waiting for the waiver.
My USC client is married to an Ecuadorian. The alien has previous immigration issues and will need a waiver to return. I was hired only to assist with the waiver. While we were working on the waiver, the USC wife refused to put her plans for family on hold had her second child, which she raised along with her first child with her parents help. The husband remained in Ecuador. I worked closely with the wife preparing and submitting the waiver, and I was confident it would be approved.
Imagine my dismay when the employee of the US Embassy took the waiver, and told my client "That's all you got? That waiver is never going to be approved!" After I calmed my client down and let them know that the decision would not be made in Ecuador, but in the central waiver processing office, we settled in for the interminable wait. One and one half years later (and yet another baby for the couple) the waiver was approved, and my client and his reunited family are back together.
