Born in Hyderabad, India, “Lisa” grew up in a traditional Indian family. At the age of 17, she was arranged to be married to a man nearly twice her age. After a couple years of marriage and the birth of a baby boy, Lisa’s husband plotted to murder her in a scheme designed to extort money from her family. One day, Lisa was preparing dinner over a gas stove when her husband came from behind, poured gas on her and pushed her into the open flame. Lisa nearly died from the burns, but she managed to survive and ultimately, fled India with her baby.
Upon arrival in the US she applied for asylum but she was denied as domestic violence was not considered to be a protected category for which one could obtain asylum. She appealed and the case remained pending in the removal system for over 15 years. During that time, and with the help of Andrew Slepian, her now-grown son had naturalized to that of a U.S. Citizen as he had previously obtained lawful permanent residence via marriage to a U.S. Citizen. As a U.S. Citizen, Lisa’s son then petitioned for Lisa to become a Permanent Resident, as a Parent of a U.S. Citizen is considered an Immediate Relative and upon the approval of a Visa Petition (Form I-130), a visa number is immediately available.
The I-130 filed for Lisa was approved and Mr. Slepian contacted the Immigration Court and successfully argued for the removal proceedings to be dismissed to allow Lisa to apply for Lawful Permanent Residence with USCIS. Upon the dismissal of the removal proceedings, Lisa filed Form I-485, Application for Lawful Permanent Residence, with USCIS. In October 2013, Lisa’s Application was approved and she received a “Green Card”! Please contact Slepian Law for questions pertaining to any family or removal/deportation related matter.
