Client: Veronica Vasquez
Service: Adjustment of Status
Background
Veronica Vasquez and her husband were living in the United States without legal status for over 20 years but began actively seeking guidance in order to adjust their status. They went to a well-known attorney in Nashville for help. Veronica says, “He basically turned us away and told us to continue living in the shadows until ‘laws changed’ because the current law wouldn’t allow us to become legal. He didn’t explain what that meant or what laws he was referring to.”
Two weeks after this interaction with the attorney in Nashville, Veronica and her husband came to Youngblood and Associates.
Legal Strategy
Youngblood & Associates took the time to get to know Veronica and her case, asking about her situation and her family ties to the U.S. We discovered that she had come to the United States on a visitor’s visa and that she had a 21-year-old child who had been born in the U.S. These two points together allowed Veronica to be eligible for adjustment of status in spite of the fact that she overstayed her visa, because she had an immediate relative to sponsor her.
Result
Within six months, Veronica became a legal permanent resident. She then sponsored her husband as Youngblood and Associates worked to help him obtain legal status, as well.
The Youngblood and Associates team helped Veronica and her husband smoothly navigate the process to become legal permanent residents in the U.S. “From the second I walked in until I became legal, everything was smooth and easy and fast. I was nervous about having to go to Memphis for an interview, but as it turns out I didn’t even have to do that because Youngblood and Associates did such great work,” says Veronica.
Veronica says that becoming a legal permanent resident “has changed everything. Family is everything to me and my husband. My family still lives in Mexico, and I wasn’t able to visit them. Now I am free. I can see my family when I want. I don’t look over my shoulder. I can show my I.D. and not be afraid of the police. And my husband saw my experience firsthand and stopped being afraid. He became optimistic and motivated. We know that we can continue to be good people in this country and do well for this country without fear.”