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Success Stories

Upon her visit to the United States from Hungary, Judith adored her stay and wanted to make it permanent. Judith stopped off at the Law Offices of Spar & Bernstein, P.C, where she made an appointment for a consultation. During the consultation, a Spar & Bernstein attorney intently reviewed all of Judith's potential options before ruling job sponsorship as an efficient route towards her obtaining a green card. With Spar & Bernstein attorneys aggressively advocating for her, Judith's job sponsorship was successfully processed and resulted in her permanent residency. Years later, Spar & Bernstein attorneys helped her to apply for citizenship which was subsequently approved.

Marcel was married to his US citizen wife for over a decade but could not get a green card due to an arrest over 20 years ago. After trying several different lawyers and giving up hope, he says he came to Spar & Bernstein as a last resort. After fighting hard to get his waiver approved, the Law Offices of Spar & Bernstein, P.C. got him his green card to live happily with his family in America.

Melissa unwittingly entered into a marriage of domestic abuse at the hands of her husband. Coming from Jamaica, Melissa did not expect to encounter such difficulties and hardships. She was in a desperate situation and needed to create a pathway to safety from her abusive husband as well as obtain legal immigration status. But tired of struggling with domestic issues and refusing to be complacent about her immigration situation, Melissa sought help from the immigration department at Spar & Bernstein. And despite all of her hardships, the lawyers at Spar & Bernstein helped her to obtain work authorization, travel permission, approval for government benefits, and eventually her Green Card. Melissa, being relieved that her past is behind her, was thrilled to take a picture with us showing her gratitude. We are both proud and inspired by Melissa's story and wish her nothing but the best moving forward!  

Maria lived in the US for 24 years as an undocumented immigrant and faced much adversity. She never gave up hope on one day coming out of the shadows in the country she loved. She started three cases with different lawyers and they all said: "it's not possible," until she came to Spar & Bernstein. Her son, Oscar, explained, "This woman means the world to me and I am proud to call her a US resident, but I'm even more proud to call her my mom. Congrats mom, you deserve it more than anybody. Thank you, sensei Brad Bernstein!"

Our team at Spar & Bernstein helped Alette’s husband become a naturalized United States citizen. Alette then reached out to us in hopes of getting a green card.

Our client Andrew arrived in the United States from Guyana, with his fiancé (K-1 nonimmigrant) visa in the 1990s. After marrying his loved one, she later abandoned him, which led him to live out of status for more than 20 years. Andrew divorced and married again, but his new wife, a naturalized citizen from Guyana, could not file for him because of the original fiancé visa that he used to enter the US. The couple sought legal advice at Spar & Bernstein, where our Senior Associate, Marina Brakefield, was able to help Andrew obtain lawful permanent residence.

Clement arrived to the United States without inspection in the 90s. He married a US Citizen but could not obtain lawful permanent resident status due to the manner in which he initially entered the country. Clement sought our help in 2013 and we pursued his dream to legalize his status. We helped his wife file a visa petition on his behalf and its approval qualified him for a Provisional Waiver. Our Spar & Bernstein attorneys filed his Provisional Waiver and proved he was a law-abiding citizen who paid his taxes. After Clement’s Provisional Waiver was approved, our team followed up on his visa with the National Visa Center and scheduled an interview in his home country of Nigeria. Clement was later able to reenter the United States as a lawful permanent resident. He now has a green card and we’re able to celebrate yet another immigration success story.

Dawn was in a problematic and abusive relationship, and she had been out of status in the United States for more than ten years. She was unable to travel home to see her family, all while suffering abuse at the hands of her partner. Dawn wanted to break free from her misery but needed immigration benefits and a green card to do it. Finally, Dawn learned about the lawyers at Spar & Bernstein. When she arrived at Spar & Bernstein, Dawn was extraordinarily frustrated, sad, upset, anxious, and fearful. But the lawyers at Spar & Bernstein reassured her that they could help. Spar & Bernstein immediately filed a self petition for Dawn, obtaining her work permit, travel authorization, a letter from the government to receive needed social safety net benefits, and finally, a green card. With all of these benefits, Dawn was able to leave behind her toxic relationship, and she couldn't be happier to live an independent life now full of opportunity.

The separation of Errol, a United States citizen, from his wife Merna, lasted more than 25 years. They suffered mightily because many years earlier, Merna was apprehended by Border Patrol as she tried to enter the United States with a photo substituted passport. After being detained, the Immigration Services deported Merna to Jamaica. It was the only time she ever broke the law, but because of her deportation and misrepresentation, she was now barred for the rest of her life from entering the United States. Finally, after 25 years and several unsuccessful attempts to legally apply for his wife's green card with other law firms, Errol hired the attorneys at Spar & Bernstein. With the help of Spar & Bernstein, Errol was able to prove to the Department of Homeland Security that he has suffered and will continue to suffer extreme and unusual hardships due to the 25-year separation from his wife. After that, finally, Merna entered the United States with her green card to live here in New York with her husband happily ever after thanks to the attorneys at Spar & Bernstein!

Our client Idris escaped from violence in his home country of Sierre Leone. He became a lawful permanent resident in 1978, when he married and settled down. In 1980, after defending his wife in an incident, he was prosecuted and found guilty. He was denied citizenship and threatened with deportation. Our experienced team took Idris’ case to heart and was able to support him in the long process of gaining US citizenship.

Jorge moved to the US from Ecuador in search of a better life 24 years ago! When his daughter turned 21, she filed for him but he was barred for life from adjusting his status because of his entry without inspection. That's when Spar & Bernstein attorney Marina Brakefield sprang into action to find Jorge a path to legal status. Marina discovered that Jorge was eligible for his green card under INA Section 245(i), a leftover law from the 1990's. Jorge was able to pay a penalty fee and less than a year after he sat down for a consultation, Jorge received his green card, no interview or unnecessary stress needed on his part. Marina took care of all of it, and today he came to pick up his green card! You never know what your options are until you come in for a consultation. Together, we will try to find a path to legal status.

Our client Ramon was regularly travelling between the United States and the Philippines, where his wife and son lived. He contacted us at Spar & Bernstein with the hope of permanently reuniting with his family. Our attorneys leveraged their expertise in immigration law and guided Ramon through the green card process for his family members. One more family brought together, and one more successful client story for Spar & Bernstein.