Background
Valeria is a kindergarten teacher from Bolivia. She got married when she was 16, but unfortunately, ended the marriage after a long 8 years. Due to infidelity, she split with her partner. She was forced to navigate a very messy divorce that left her with nothing. Nonetheless, Valeria moved back in with her parents and was focusing on her self-growth.
Once the divorce was finalized, Valeria decided to rebuild her life. She starts teaching middle school and pours her energy into community service. One afternoon, at a soccer match organized to raise funds for local youth programs, Valeria meets a semi-professional football player from the U.S. His name is Eric. Despite his poor Spanish skills, he was immediately drawn to Valeria.
They started talking, and Eric asked Valeria out on a date. Determined to truly understand her and her culture, Eric enrolled in Spanish classes and extended his trip in Bolivia. Valeria saw the efforts, and their relationship blossomed over soccer games, homemade Bolivian meals, and Spanish lessons that were exchanged for English lessons.
After a year of dating, Eric proposed! In addition, he proposed in Spanish. Shortly after, they end up getting married in Bolivia, around Valeria’s close family and friends.
Case
Eric and Valeria approached us because they wanted to start the green card process. Eric had to return to the U.S. for work, and they didn’t want to be separated for too long. As Valeria was visiting Eric quite often, we determined that a marriage-based green card was the best option for the couple. Even though their love story was genuine, Valeria was worried about her divorce. It’s important to note that USCIS does indeed scrutinize second marriages even more carefully to ensure that the current marriage was entered into in good faith.
This was not going to be an issue in this case. The divorce was finalized, and it had been 3 years after the divorce that Valeria decided to get married. Within the petition, we included affidavits from friends, teammates, and family members attesting to their relationship.
We also included photos, joint accounts, a shared lease, flight itineraries to visit each other, phone records, texts, and bills with both of their names on them. We prepared the couple for their USCIS interview, conducting a mock interview with the two of them.
Once they went in and completed their interview, the green card was approved on the spot. That same day, the green card was ordered to be printed, and Valeria was officially a lawful permanent resident.
Verdict
Within 5 months of filing, USCIS approved the petition, and Valeria became a green card holder. The green card was approved the same day as the interview. This is why it’s important to walk into your interview being fully prepared.
How VisaNation Helped
With marriage interviews coming back into the picture as a requirement for every marriage-based green card case, it’s important to be well prepared. Our client was approved right on the spot, and we are seeing this trend for many couples going into their interviews. This success story embodies how a marriage green card and divorce can be part of the same story, where a painful past doesn’t stop life. If you are interested in starting your marriage green card journey, reach out to our team today!
