CATES LAW, PLLC
IMMIGRATION LAW GROUP
Honest, Passionate & Experienced Advocacy
By appointment only
Si, hablamos español 832-598-5878
SUCCESS STORIES
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2016:
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Cancellation of Removal in Houston Immigration Court: Represented Mexican national in deportation proceedings in Houston with multiple convictions for posession of a controlled substance for Cancellation of Removal (LPR Cancellation). Case was granted and client remains a Permanent Resident.
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Adjustment of Status: Represented Mexican mother of U.S. citizen son for Adjustment of Status (permanent residence). Case was approved in less than 2 months without an interview!
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Consular Processing | Immigrant Visas: Represented a Venezuelan national and her son for Permanent Residence based on her marriage to U.S. citizen. Both immigrant visas were approved at the interviews in Caracas 6 months after petition was filed.
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2015:
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Appeal of Deportation order: Won an appeal of a deportation order for a Mexican National eligible for a Provisional Waiver of Unlawful Presence with the Board of Immigration Appeals. The Immigration Judge had previously denied a Joint Motion to Administratively Close the case based on the client's eligibility for a Provisional Waiver and we successfully challenged the removal order on this basis.
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Motion to Reconsider: Won a motion to reconsider a denial of Permanent Residence under NACARA for a Nicaraguan client, more than 10 years after the case was denied on an improper legal basis. The Service had improperly interpreted the governing regulations at the time.
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Naturalization: Successfully represented a Mexican national with a third degree felony conviction for naturalization that had been a Permanent Resident since the 1970s. Client was understandably concerned that she could be placed in removal proceedings when she filed for citizenship. Case was approved without issue.
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Same-sex Adjustment: Represented a Colombian national, spouse of a U.S. citizen, for his Permanent Residence. Although client had previous been petitioned by a former spouse that was not of his same sex, case was approved without issue.
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U visa | I-929: Won an application for After Acquired Spouse of U visa holder who was applying for his Adjustment of Status. Case was approved after the Service issued a detailed request for additional evidence of extreme hardship.
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Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS): Represented several clients before the Dallas immigration court to have cases administratively closed/terminated to pursue Special Immigrant Juvenile Status with USCIS. Also represented several clients in Denton/Tarrant counties to file a Suit Affecting the Parent/Child Relationship (SAPCR) as a predicate order for seeking SIJS.
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I-601 Smuggling Waiver: Successfully represented Mexican national for waiver of smuggling ground of inadmissibility that had a provisional waiver revoked while she was being interviewed in Ciudad Juarez. Waiver was approved and the client is now a Legal Permanent Resident.
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2014:
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Motions to Reopen Deportation for Adjustment of Status: Successfully represented several clients from Honduras, Brazil and Mexico to reopen deportation orders in Dallas, TX and Los Angeles, CA to apply for Adjustment of Status with USCIS.
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NACARA Motion to Reopen Deportation: Successfully represented Salvadoran national to reopen an in absentia deportation order before the Dallas Immigration Court, administratively close the case and subsequently filing for her Permanent Residence under NACARA before the Houston Asylum Office in the Fall of 2014.
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Cuban Adjustment Act (CAA): Successfully represented Mexican spouse of a Cuban national that had already adjusted his status under the CAA.
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I-601 Waiver for Widows of U.S. Citizens: Represented two widows of U.S. citizens that had died while in the process of petitioning their spouses. Given that both spouses had entered the U.S. without inspection, they were obligated to depart the U.S. to obtain permanent residence. We were able to successfully argue in both cases that a waiver of unlawful presence could be approved based on the hardship to the USC spouse before they died.
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Humanitarian Parole: Successfully obtained humanitarian parole for Honduran national that had been deported from the U.S. based on exigent circumstances (U.S. citizen wife that had given birth prematurely to twins in the U.S. with a wide array of medical issues).
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Parole-in-Place: Represented 3 Mexican nationals in their requests for parole-in-place with the Dallas Field Office, two of which were the spouses of U.S. citizens (US Army Veterans) and the other a father of a U.S. Citizen (Active Duty in the U.S. Marines). These paroles allowed these clients to adjust their status to Permanent Residents in the U.S. without departing the country.
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Adjustment of Status with Deportation: Successfully represented Salvadoran client with Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Green Card. She had an executed deportation order and had been found to have engaged in misrepresentation with USCIS for using a counterfeit green card in the 1990s. Case was approved without any request for evidence or waiver.
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2013:
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Provisional Waivers of Unlawful Presence: Represented several clients for Provisional Waivers of Unlawful Presence, applying for waivers of the 3/10 year bars prior to departing the U.S. to apply for immigrant visas abroad.
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L-1A Multinational Manager: Successfully represented Costa Rican national for intracompany transfer to the American affiliate of a non-profit organization. Although the Service issued a very detailed request for evidence questioning whether the client would meet the requirements of the L-1A classification, we were able to demonstrate that client met the requirements of a functional manager of a multinational organization doing business in the U.S. and affiliated with a related organization in Costa Rica.
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F-2A Adjustment of Status: Represented 3 Mexican nationals that were petitioned by Permanent Resident relatives (LPR father and LPR husband) when this visa preference classification (F-2A) was current in the Fall of 2013. All three cases were approved and the clients are now Permanent Residents.
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Violence against Women Act (VAWA): Successfully represented Mexican husband of U.S. citizen that was subject to extreme psychological cruelty by his wife in spite of very detailed requests for evidence issued by the Government.
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U visa appeal: Successfully represented Mexican national for U visa appeal with Administrative Appeals Office. Client was derivative daughter of U visa applicant that was erroneously denied a U visa because the Government erroneously believed that her application was not submitted timely. Case eventually was reopened sua sponte at our request and the filing fee for the appeal was returned due to Service error.
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I-140 Request for Evidence: Represented client for RFE requesting evidence of the petitioning employer's ability to pay the offered wage, evidence that employeee met the training/experience of the job offered and that he met the educational requirement. Case approved and we subsequently filed adjustment of status application under 245(i). Case was approved and now client is a Permanent Resident.
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Legalization: Represented Mexican national for Temporary to Permanent Residence under LIFE Act Legalization (I-698)
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Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA): Represented over 150 foreign nations for work permits under the Deferred Action for Chilhood Arrivals Program.
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