Marriage Cases in Removal Proceedings
Are you in removal proceedings because CIS suspected your marriage was a sham?
Did your spouse withdraw their petition for your green card?
Are you getting married while in removal proceedings?
In USCIS offices around the United States, married couples anxiously await interviews with an immigration officer. Friends have said, “Not to worry” and are assured that “all they need is love.” But, for any couple that has blindly walked into an interview that will determine the validity of their marriage, they will soon discover that the stakes are too high to heed such flippant advice. It is becoming clearer that what couples really need is not love, but luck—and a traditionally palatable marriage.
Consider the story of Saïd and Patricia. After fourteen years together, two children, and a dog, they made the mistake of assuming that the legitimacy of their marriage would be as obvious to an immigration official as it was to them; they did not see the need to hire an attorney. Patricia, a U.S. citizen, sponsored Saïd’s petition for permanent residence. Some months later, much to the couple’s dismay, they received a letter from the federal government that expressed its doubts concerning the evidence supporting the petition, and its need for further information. The distressed couple was subsequently scheduled for an investigatory interview about their marriage. Their entire marriage and life were to be scrutinized to the finest detail. If they were unable to convince the officer they were truly in a good faith marriage, they would find themselves in court. Don’t let this happen to you.
SGG’s team of family and removal attorneys provide expert assistance in the preparation of immigration court defense for complex marriage petitions and adjustment applications, including those that involve non-viable marriages, government challenges to paternity, and cases with difficult identity issues. Of course, we also handle straightforward cases that have just been documented poorly or where the couple was ill-advised by former counsel, or had no counsel at all and landed in removal proceedings. Our commitment to clients is to prepare their applications and supporting evidence carefully and thoroughly. Cases do not get lost in the shuffle or forgotten amongst hundreds of others. We offer personalized services to clients, and they always know the attorney who will be appearing with them at their interview or removal hearing.
For more information on marriage-based removal issues, explore these pages: