Who Says US Immigration Doesn't Have Heart?

    DALLAS, TX, March 07, 2010 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Although the USCIS and US Embassies take a lot of heat for things they do that people don't like, let's look at something you may like. A recent case handled by international attorney Steven Riznyk demonstrates that at critical time, our immigration department, or USCIS (United States Citizenship and Immigration Services) has a lot of heart. The scenario involves a US citizen with less than a week left to live, and a Canadian husband (we'll call Adam) banned for 10 years for overstaying a visa, and brushes with the law that further bar him from the United States.

Adam had a very heartfelt story. He had lived in the United States with his wife, but, like many, did not file the paperwork for a Green Card. Unlicensed driving got him arrested, and he was rendered deportable with a 10-year bar from entering the United States. Admittedly, this could have been avoided by filing the proper case. He left voluntarily and his wife followed him. A routine medical exam in Canada surprisingly revealed stage 4 endometrial cancer. Regrettably, she was illegal in Canada, as the couple did not file an immigration case there either. As a result, receiving urgent medical care became a problem. Alan unselfishly had her go to North Carolina where she could be with her family and receive instant medical care. Shortly thereafter, and quite unexpectedly, he was informed she had a matter of days left to live.

He called Steven Riznyk & Company LLC (www.my-Immigration-Attorney.com) and explained that he wanted to get into the United States as soon as possible; preferably in a couple of days or less so he could see his wife. The case required legal research combining elements of an Extreme Hardship waiver and 212(d)(3) waiver. What further complicated the situation was that the rules required the case to be sent to Washington. There was no time. He wanted to fly to the United States but lacked a passport, so this could not be determined at the airport. He finally drove to the Niagara Falls Peace Bridge crossing and made his case. Three hours later, he was in the United States.

The agents at Peace Bridge were very compassionate, Adam stated, and did everything they could to reach a decision rapidly on what was a very complex 27-page waiver. When the local agents were not completely assured of their decision to approve the case, they contacted high-level agents in order to confirm their decision. They concluded by offering him 30 days, yet he asked for 12, just time enough to say good-bye and attend the funeral.

In the end, Adam made it to his wife's hospital bed on her last day. The doctors did not know how she hung on, but when she knew of his imminent arrival, she found what little bits of life energy she could muster. Barely able to keep her eyes open for the last couple of days, when she knew of Adam's arrival, she opened them one last time and looked straight at her love, for one last time. Adam reflected: "It was both the best and the worst day of my life. However, without Mr. Riznyk's team and the kind officers, this would not have been possible. I came into their office and laid the paper down and said this is my story. They read all of it, complimented me on my choice of lawyers, and proceeded to make it happen."

The problem with the case, states Mr. Riznyk "was that time was not on our side". She had a week left to live and we had to ascertain a method to get Adam into the United States so that she could see him one last time." Regrettably, all of this work had to be prepared in short order. "We were looking at 60-90 man-hours of research and writing to get this accomplished in time or else there would be no sense in starting." Adam's good fortune was that he had called one of the few US immigration law firms that operate 24 hours a day. Had that not been the situation, logistically a team could not get this completed in a day and coordinated the work in a logical sequence. "We assembled a team and stopped all non-critical work. We commenced in London, continued in the U.S., then was then transferred to, and completed in our Rome office, allowing us to so work sequentially rather than simultaneously".

The one thing about this case was the time constraint, states Mr. Riznyk. Luckily we deal with complex cases 'and' a lot of clients who call us with a rush and it was something that we could do. On the other hand, it was a blessing that Adam knew what he wanted and acted immediately. Half the people calling us are never ready to do anything and miss all kinds of timeframes, and they end up losing out on windows of opportunity. The best part of this case, states Steven, is that he got the closure he wanted, and the phone call he made to me is why I am still in immigration today; it's the 3% of the time I live for, as I like to say. His kind words and the words of gratitude from his son, I will never forget. Most of our cases are conducted by phone with clients worldwide and one of my regrets is that I rarely get to meet them; I would love to meet Adam in person one day.

Immigration law, despite being one of the least expensive areas of law, ironically offers people the most. Lives, careers, futures and family trees are changed for eternity because of immigration law. Often, immigration lawyers find that their clients will spend money on new homes, cars, and even vacations, but to not see value in hiring a lawyer to have their immigration status corrected. On the topic of money, Adam stated "I would have paid $100,000 for that moment in time- it was worth more than money itself!"

Immigration law has many challenges for both the CIS and immigration lawyers alike. Part of the challenge is that people don't understand immigration law, as it is so complex. As a result, both officers and lawyers alike are faced with a public that is scared by a system they don't understand. Coincidentally, Steven Riznyk spent a year and a half creating the first DVD that explains US Immigration law to the world in simple language, and it can be found at www.US-Immigration-Explained.com. If you would like to reach Steven Riznyk, his web site is www.my-Immigration-Attorney.com, where you will find plenty of immigration information, as well as his immigration and business blogs; his business blog brings you into the world of running a company branch in Europe. His email is [email protected].

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