Elizabeth Vélez obtains green card for pro bono client under Violence Against Women Act
Elizabeth Vélez successfully petitioned the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services for lawful permanent residence (commonly known as a green card) on behalf of an undocumented client who was the victim of domestic violence.
Ms. Vélez filed a petition on behalf of her client, who is originally from Mexico and has endured years of physical and emotional abuse from her husband, seeking a change in immigration status pursuant to the Violence Against Women Act in 2017. For the next four-plus years as the petition was pending, Ms. Vélez responded to information requests from the government and obtained multiple work authorizations so the client could support herself and her children. Despite the long journey, Ms. Vélez never stopped advocating for this client. This week, the client was finally notified that her petition was granted and, now a lawful permanent resident of the United States, received her green card.
At Lewis Baach Kaufmann Middlemiss we take seriously our professional and personal obligations to serve the public. We are proud of the work we have done to represent people who cannot afford legal representation.