Background
Anastasia, our client, felt a deep longing as she navigated her life in the U.S. without her mother. Her mother, still in Ukraine, had devoted her life to teaching. Now, as she approached retirement age, she longed for peace, especially with the ongoing war in her homeland.
The distance between Anastasia and her mother was hard, as Anastasia couldn’t fly to Ukraine given the travel advisories. Anastasia had just become a U.S. citizen, a very proud milestone, yet it was bittersweet knowing her mother was alone in such an unsafe place. With her growing family, Anastasia wanted her mother to be part of those special moments.
Everything changed when Anastasia’s mother visited the U.S. to meet her first grandchild. As the days went on, the mom was drawn in by the warmth of Anastasia’s new life and the safety that the U.S. offered. Anastasia’s mother soon realized she wanted to start a life in the U.S. with her daughter and family.
That is when Anastasia came to us for help, looking for guidance on how to begin the process of getting her mother a green card. Her main goal was to have her mother by her side and safe in her home. Our team quickly came up with a plan, determined to help Anastasia’s mother get her green card.
VisaNation Case Strategy
We came up with a plan that would align with Anastasia’s mother’s legal status in the U.S., focusing on the strong family ties and the compelling reasons for bringing her mother to the U.S. were essential. Given the current political crisis in Ukraine, the U.S. embassy was closed, and the only other embassy that was open was in Warsaw, Poland. It was hard for family members to visit Anastasia’s mother, and her safety was at risk. We applied back in October of 2023, but within a couple of weeks, we received an RFE.
Issue
Since Anastasia’s mother was over 60 years old and had lived in Ukraine her entire life, she lacked the vaccination required for permanent residency in the U.S.
The vaccine guidelines in Ukraine were quite different from those in the U.S., which presented a challenge. Initially hesitant about getting vaccinated at her age, Anastasia’s mother took a proactive step by consulting with the physician. Together, they reviewed her current health and compiled a list of the necessary vaccinations she needed. With her physician’s support and guidance, she felt more comfortable moving forward.
Verdict
Within a month, we submitted a thorough response to the RFE with all the medical documents. After 9 months, Anastasia’s mother’s green card application was approved!
