What happens when someone enters the U.S. without legal status, endures exploitation and underpayment at work, and faces years of uncertainty about their future?
For our client, the journey through hardship and uncertainty was met with patience, determination, and the guidance of a dedicated legal team—together, these helped open the door to a new chapter.
Our client, a native of Grenada, entered the United States in 2010.
Like many immigrants, she came seeking opportunity—but instead found hardship and vulnerability.
By 2012, she had secured work through a care website as a live-in nanny in New Jersey. But the job conditions were far from fair. She slept in a basement, lacked proper food and bedding, and was paid less than promised—earning just $275 in cash per week for long days spent caring for children from Monday through Friday.
Her employer knew she was undocumented.
At her first consultation with our office, we even explored the possibility of a T visa due to the exploitative nature of her employment.
Years later, a chance reconnection changed everything.
In 2020, she reconnected with someone she had known years earlier—she used to babysit his son. Their conversations deepened into a relationship, and by October 2023, they were married and had begun building a life together.
Though their relationship is still young on paper, their shared history runs deep.
They live together in a home they share—just the two of them—with no other tenants. While they don’t yet have many photos together from past years, they’ve taken solid steps to show their shared life: a joint bank account, shared mail, and she is updating her driver’s license to reflect their current address.
The couple first consulted with our firm in November 2023 but officially retained us in July 2024. In February 2025, we filed a one-step adjustment of status application, submitting the I-130 and I-485 concurrently.
Their interview took place in May 2025, at the USCIS field office in New York City. Thanks to a strong application and careful preparation, both the I-130 and I-485 were approved the very next day, in May 2025!
This case’s success was due to the couple’s long-standing connection, their bona fide marriage, cohabitation and shared finances, and a clean immigration and criminal history.
Our client now has the freedom to live and work in the United States lawfully—and the security to build a future alongside the person she loves.
Need help with your adjustment of status or marriage-based green card case? Call us today at (914) 898-9488 or click here to schedule a consultation with one of our experienced immigration attorneys.
P.S. Every case is different. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes. Speak with a licensed immigration attorney about your specific situation.
