Immigration Technicality May Keep Homecoming Queen From Graduation

Many individuals decide they can go it alone when it comes to green card applications or citizenship issues.  Their employer handles the work visa, and after that  they are home free.  No reason to pay a lawyer to get those remaining forms secured.  They can do it themselves.  After all, that's what their wife's cousin did.

Well contrary to the words of your wife's cousin.  Immigration issues can be tricky.  In fact, ABC news reported May 30, 2012 that an immigration law technicality may keep a homecoming queen from graduating from high school.  Senior classman,  Elizabeth Olivas thought she would be enjoying the last days at her Indiana high school with her classmates before graduating on Saturday.

Instead, the Frankfort High School homecoming queen is in her native Mexico, caught up in an immigration technicality that has her future in the United States straddled between U.S. government agencies, according to the Indianapolis Star.

Olivas has lived in the U.S. since the age 4, and her father is a naturalized U.S. citizen. But after turning 18, according to the law, she had 180 days to return to Mexico  to apply for a long-term visa to the United States. Without that visa she would become an illegal immigrant. So Olivas and her father took the trip down to the Juarez consulate, only to realize they were one day late.  Now she must wait three years before entering the country again, unless she receives a  ”humanitarian patrole” visa waiver. (excerpt from

Read more about this issue at:

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2012/05/immigration-technicality-may-keep-homecoming-queen-from-graduation/

This however, does emphasize the importance of maintaining an ongoing relationship with an immigration attorney even after you receive a green card, or if all members of your family have not become citizens.  I frequently find that the do-it-yourself filers can have long term issues that can impact their family and their future.  Saving a few dollars in the short term can cause years of heartache and financial expense.  Ask Elizabeth Olivas.

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Satveer Chaudhary is the founding lawyer of Chaudhary Law Office, PLLC.  In practice over 10 years, Chaudhary brings 14 years of legislative experience as a State Senator and Member of the Minnesota House of Representatives to each and every case.At Chaudhary Law Office, our clients come first. Every client is treated with courtesy and is guaranteed effective representation. Practicing in the areas of  Immigration Law, Wills, Divorce, Family Law, Small Business and Criminal Law, we provide free intial consultations to all our clients.

In 2004  Satveer Chaudhary was named the University of Minnesota Law School Alumni of the Year. He was also awarded the Governor’s Certificate of Commendation for the Legal Aid Society of Minnesota, served as Special Assistant to Minnesota Attorney General Hubert H. Humphrey III, and was recognized by the worldwide Asian-Indian community for  his dedicated work, Chaudhary was named to the top-50 non-resident Indians in the world (NRI World  magazine).  

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