SOME SAMPLE SUCCESS STORIES:
Our firm is known for providing exceptional legal service. Read below about a sampling of our successful results.
Notice of Intent to Deny (NOID) due to Marriage Fraud Allegations
One of the hardest types of cases to win is when a client has been accused of prior marriage fraud under Section 204(c) of the Immigration and Nationality Act which prohibits the approval of any future immigration petitions if there is evidence of prior marriage fraud. Sasha has a record of success overcoming harsh allegations of prior marriage fraud.
In April 2024, Sasha received an approval of an I-130 petition which had previously been denied on at least four prior attempts due to marriage fraud allegations. The couple had appealed one of the denials to the Board of Immigration Appeals which upheld the denial. The couple also appealed a different denial in U.S. federal district court which also upheld the denial. Feeling hopeless and faced with yet another Notice of Intent to Deny, the couple scoured the internet looking for the best representation possible and found a popular YouTube video Sasha produced on the topic of 204(c) marriage fraud allegations. Impressed with her knowledge, the couple consulted and entrusted Sasha with responding to the Notice of Intent to Deny. Sasha worked closely with them to obtain as much evidence and information to prove that the beneficiary's first marriage had been legitimate and that she had not committed the alleged marriage fraud. Even to Sasha's surprise, she won the case after so many prior denials on the same issue! After 20 years of fighting USCIS, the beneficiary was finally able to prove that her first marriage was legitimate and she was granted her green card with tears of joy! We learned never to give up even in the most hopeless situation and that sometimes the quality of legal representation can be the determining factor in the outcome of a case.
If you are presented with a NOID letter in your I-130 marriage petition, you need the best representation possible.
Post-DOMA LGBT Immigration
Our law office represents hundreds of same-sex couples in their immigration proceedings and has built a reputation as the national experts in LGBTQ immigration law. Since the repeal of DOMA on June 26, 2013, our office has obtained lawful permanent resident cards for hundreds of individuals based on their same-sex marriages in the Oakland Park, Florida field office alone. We have represented approximately 100+ same-sex couples in applying for marriage-based green cards or fiance visas in the past year. We have successfully obtained approvals of green cards for same-sex couples at the following USCIS field offices: Miami, Florida; Oakland Park, Florida; Hialeah, Florida; Kendall, Florida; West Palm Beach, Florida; Orlando, Florida; Tampa, Florida; Baltimore, Maryland; Dallas, Texas; Los Angeles, California; San Francisco, California; Seattle, Washington; Louisville, Kentucky; Newark, New Jersey; Fort Smith, Arkansas; Chicago, Illinois; Manchester, New Hampshire; Greer, South Carolina; New York, New York; and Boston, Massachusetts, among others with pending interviews at field offices throughout the country.
In addition, our office has already obtained the approval of 10 same-sex K-1 fiance visa petitions in the recent months. The first three cases were approved in less than 2 months from the date of filing and we even obtained an approval for one couple who had a 37 year age gap without any questions asked!
In January 2014, our client was the first same-sex fiance visa applicant interviewed at the U.S. Embassy in Amman, Jordan. He was interviewed directly by the Chief Consul who was so happy to have Jordan's first same-sex case. The Consulate also provided him with a private room to protect his identity.
In February 2014, our office represented the first same-sex fiance visa applicant approved at the U.S. Embassy in Bogota, Colombia.
In October 2014, we overturned the decision of the U.S. Consulate in Caracas to deny the issuance of a K-1 fiance visa for a gay couple because they had not met in person during the past 2 years. Our office was able to get the Consulate to agree that no waiver was necessary because the U.S. Petitioner had documented his significant medical condition which prevented him from traveling to see his partner in Venezuela.
In September 2014, we received the approval an I-130 marriage petition for a beneficiary living abroad in only TWO WEEKS without submitting any type of expedite request.
In April 2015, our first client returned home after the approval of his I-130 marriage petition and I-601A Provisional Waiver and successfully obtained his immigrant visa to return to the U.S. without any issues. Since then, we have successfully represented same-sex couples processing for I-601A waivers in the following countries: Mexico, El Salvador, Peru, and Colombia.
Waivers
In February 2014, our office obtained the approval of a waiver of fraud/misrepresentation for a Chinese national in conjunction with his marriage-based residency. The applicant entered the United States using his cousin's refugee travel document. We were able to waive the fraudulent entry by evidencing extreme hardship to his U.S. citizen wife and daughter.
We recently obtained the approval of an I-601A Waiver in only two months! We filed the case in September 2014 and by November 2014 we had the approval notice in hand. This waiver approval came shortly after the approval of our client's same-sex marriage petition.
Our office continues to maintain our 100% success rate on I-601A provisional waivers for those waiving their illegal entry into the U.S. We have obtained the approval of I-601A waivers for individuals from the following countries: Mexico, El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, Peru, Venezuela, Brazil, and Colombia.
Removal Proceedings
Attorney Sasha Westerman-Keuning was recently part of a pioneering oral argument at the Miami Immigration Court regarding whether the Florida theft statute consitutes a crime of moral turpitude. The first hearing of its kind at the Miami Immigration Court, Sasha skillfully argued her Motion to Terminate in front of the Immigration Judge.
Our law office recently obtained an Order of Administrative Closure, closing the deportation proceedings for a Chinese national who had previously had her asylum case denied. Our client had been in removal proceedings for nearly 6 years before we obtained the closure on her behalf. Now, she will file a provisional waiver based on her approved marriage petition.
We represented a long-time permanent resident from Colombia who was detained at the Krome Detention Center after being convicted on drug distribution charges. After presenting a case for Cancellation of Removal, the Immigration Judge granted our application for cancellation of removal allowing our client to keep his green card and remain in the United States.
Stay of Removal
We recently obtained a Stay of Removal from the ICE Miramar Office, preventing the physical deportation of our client. Our client and his family can now rest assured that he will not be deported while the Stay of Removal remains in effect. We thoroughly documented our client's medical conditions and the medical conditions of his permanent resident wife in obtaining the Stay of Removal.
Update: We recently obtained the consent of the Miami Office of Chief Counsel to join in a motion to reopen the above-referenced individuals deportation case so that he may apply for his green card as the parent of an adult U.S. citizen.
VAWA
Our office received the approval of a petition filed under the Violence Against Women Act for a Venezuelan national. Our client had married a U.S. soldier several years ago and suffered substantial abuse at his hands. Upon his return from Afghanistan, our client's husband suffered severe PTSD and inappropriately took out his anger on his wife. With the approval of the VAWA petition, our client no longer has to live in fear and will be able to obtain her U.S. residency.
Naturalization
Our office recently obtained citizenship on behalf of our longtime clients, T and L. T was placed in removal proceedings in 2010 where he won his case after the government accused of falsely claiming to be a U.S. citizen when he registered to vote. We are proud to say that 5 years later, T is a United States citizen and will be voting in next year's election! L, a long time permanent resident, was placed in deportation proceedings several years ago where we won a 212(c) criminal waiver on his behalf. After being stopped in the airport every time he traveled even though he won his deportation case, L finally has become a U.S. citizen and took his first trip with his U.S. passport. We are so happy to have been with our clients through every step of these trying journeys.
Work and Investor Visas
Our office received the approval of an extension of an L-1A visa in 12 days with no Request for Evidence. Statistically 50% of L-1A visa applications are issued a Request for Evidence.
We recently received the approvals of E-2 visas in Toronto and Argentina on behalf of our business clients.
Recently, we have obtained O-1 extraordinary ability visas for two DJs who have international recognition in the LGBT market. Additionally, we obtained an O-1 visa for a Russian director even with a negative advisory opinion letter! Congrats to these great artists!
Our petition for an extraordinary ability green card was approved in just 7 days for the famed Venezuelan fashion designer, Maria Moschiano. Moschiano will now bring her couture line of beautiful designs to the U.S.
Law Partners, Irina Rostova and Sasha Westerman-Keuning, filed and supervised the preparation of hundreds of I-526 and I-829 investor visa green card petitions for the Florida Overseas Regional Center, one of the prominent EB-5 regional centers in the United States, as the preferred lawyers of this regional center.
***Please note that every case presents unique circumstances and the results of an individual's case may vary from the above cases. Results may vary depending on the facts involved any particular case. The results reported on this website should not be construed as a predictor of future results or as a guarantee for a particular outcome on a case.
Sasha traveled to South Carolina to attend a green card interview with this happy couple of 30+ years. Wayne and Bryan, both Canadians by birth, had been traveling in and out of the U.S. for the past two decades to maintain lawful immigration status. Our office not only assisted Wayne in becoming a U.S. citizen just in time to vote in the 2016 elections, we got Bryan his marriage-based green card a few months later. Congratulations to these two wonderful gentlemen!
Sasha with her clients Bernard and Demetrio after Bernard's green card approval at the Miami Field Office. Together since 1999, Bernard and Demetrio lived in London as a couple for nearly 15 years before immigrating to the U.S. after the repeal of DOMA. We are so happy that the couple can finally live here in the U.S. and have their marriage recognized by both the federal government and the Florida state government. Congrats to the happy couple!!
***Each case is very fact-specific and requires a consultation with a qualified immigration lawyer. Results may vary from the stories printed above.
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