Every person’s green card success story can have many challenges along the way. Josh Goldstein recently talked with our client Xiwen about his tough journey to become a permanent resident in the United States.
Xiwen’s success story shows how complicated the immigration process can be and how important it is to have legal immigration support to get a good result.
The 18-Month Wait to Get I-485 Approval
Xiwen works for a company that does government projects. He needed a green card for his job because of the type of work he does. Xiwen needed more than just an Employment Authorization Document (EAD) or a work permit to be able to do the work for his employer, Leidos.
Xiwen explained:
"Our case is unusual in the sense that we don't care about the EAD. I mean, EAD is good for most people, but for our case, we especially need the I-485 to be approved because of the nature of the work I'm working here, as you can see, Leidos, it's my company, it's a government contractor."
The Application to Register for Permanent Residence form is used by someone in the United States as part of the green card approval process. The Form I-485 requirement makes government contractor visa applications more complicated.
A person's immigration history, criminal record, and other factors are checked to see if they can get a green card. USCIS will take fingerprints, require a medical exam, and do a background check. Xiwen waited 18 months to get his Form I-485 approved.
Xiwen noted:
“So just for the regulations, most of the work we have to be working with the clearance. The basic clearance is public trust clearance, which requires the applicant to be a permanent resident of the United States”.
Finding a Solution
Xiwen tried everything to speed up the green card process. He went as far as asking politicians for help. When that didn’t work, he decided to sue the government to make them speed up the visa process.
Xiwen recalled:
We tried congressional inquiries. We pretty much called our own congressmen in the district, as well as the two senators. We tried all these methods, they say, within the normal processing time. This ended up, we have to attempt the legal method”.
Facing Green Card Success Doubts
Xiwen wasn’t worried at first that the government might get upset and reject his application because he researched blog posts online. These blog posts state that it’s not legal for the government to retaliate against a person filing a mandamus lawsuit.
Xiwen remembers:
To be honest, I didn't have the concerns at the beginning because I saw your video. There are a lot of people making blogs online, talking about in their articles that it's not legal for the government side to retaliate and it will not happen.
However, Xiwen faced some doubts after filing the mandamus petition. His green card success doubts were put to rest when he found more of Josh’s content online.
Xiwen recalled:
“I was a little bit afraid in the middle. But then I checked you online and I saw that you were having a live stream. So you told me again, you told me again that, don't worry about that. You can sleep well at night. It's their job to be worried about this case”.
Amazing Green Card Success After Two Months
After two months of waiting anxiously, Xiwen finally achieved green card success and got his approval.
Xiwen reflected:
"But if you have been through a very long struggle of waiting for 18 months, and then after the two months of process with a lawsuit, it's going to be 20 months in total. You feel relieved."
Looking Forward to Focusing on Career Goals
Now that Xiwen has his green card, he can focus on his career goals, like working with the US Navy. He knows there might be more challenges ahead, like becoming a citizen. But he feels confident that with our legal team’s help, he’s able to handle anything.
Xiwen shared:
"For me, my entire career is tightly related to USCIS. I have to deal with them for my entire life."
Xiwen is thankful for the support he received during this tough journey. We are privileged to have played a small part in Xiwen’s green card success story. Wishing Xiwen all the best!
We’re Ready to Support You!
Xiwen’s green card success story shows how hard it can be to go through the immigration process. But anyone can overcome these challenges with the right immigration assistance. Reach out to us for support if you or someone you know is dealing with immigration issues.
Our immigration law experts are on standby to help schedule a consultation at no cost to you. Just share your case with us. Don’t forget to keep following our blogs and newsletters for more stories and useful information. We’re ready to support your American dream in every way!
Posted in: Blog