DeMine legal assistant ensures three immigrant success stories
FORT MYERS, Fla. (Feb. 28, 2025) – Mabel Diaz, legal assistant at DeMine Immigration, has successfully helped three of her clients take the next step in their immigration cases amid incorrect rulings from several consulates.
The purpose of hiring an immigration attorney is advocacy, and at DeMine Immigration, we take the advocacy of our clients seriously. We go above and beyond to serve our clients, and this commitment extends from our legal assistants all the way to our attorneys. Diaz has exemplified this core value of our firm as she helped prepare three clients for their overseas consular processing interviews overseas and saw them all the way through.
In consular processing, once a client submits all the required documents, complications can arise. In all three of these cases, the consulate had initial objections, but Diaz’s careful review of the decisions uncovered notable mistakes.
Each of these clients faced obstacles in their consular processing that would have added years to their respective cases. Diaz was able to not only catch these mistakes, but advocate on behalf of her clients earnestly and effectively, ensuring that her clients were rightfully rectified.
Client 1: Visa in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico
Client 1 sought a visa approval out of Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. The client went to their home country for consular processing which is split into two parts – submitting documents and a subsequent interview.
When the client submitted documents to the consulate in Ciudad Juarez, the consulate rejected the marriage certificate the client had submitted. The client was told that they would need an original copy of the marriage certificate before their interview, a requirement that they had not anticipated.
The client learned this at 2:30 p.m. eastern time, and the certificate was needed by the end of business hours (9 a.m.-5 p.m.) for the 7 a.m. interview the following morning. The original marriage certificate was in LaBelle, Florida, around an hour’s drive from DeMine Immigration’s Downtown Fort Myers office.
Diaz got to thinking of how she would be able to obtain the original marriage certificate and get it to the client in Mexico in the next two and a half hours. She quickly realized that receptionist Darling Cerda lives in LaBelle and sent her to the Hendry County Clerk of Courts to obtain the marriage certificate.
With just ten minutes left in the business day, at 4:50 p.m., Cerda was able to obtain and notarize the original certificate and send it to Diaz who then sent it to the client. Thanks to the team effort, the client attended the interview the next morning and their visa was approved. They are now back in the United States.
Client 2: Fiancé Petition in Bogota, Colombia
Client 2 sought a Fiancé petition out of Bogota, Colombia. The client was already in Colombia for their consular processing interview when the consulate mistakenly accused them of having past unlawful presence in the United States.
The consulate then told the client, in the interview, to file a waiver for the time they were supposedly unlawfully present. This waiver’s processing time would cause the client to stay in Colombia for 1-2 more years.
However, when the client received their denial in writing, the consulate had changed the reason for denial to a fraudulent asylum claim, rather than unlawful presence. Attorney Indera DeMine, on behalf of Diaz, emailed the consulate supervisor to point out the consulate’s mistakes.
DeMine and Diaz went back and forth with the consulate until they overturned the case. If the client would have sent the document themself without the help of an immigration attorney, the mistake would have never been caught. Thanks to Diaz’s efforts, the client is set to return to the United States in early March.
Client 3: Green Card in Guatemala City, Guatemala
Client 3 sought a green card approval out of Guatemala City, Guatemala. They flew back to Guatemala solely to have their consular processing interview.
Upon arrival at the interview, the consulate told the client that they needed another sponsor for their green card. They claimed the client’s current sponsor allegedly did not make enough money.
It had already taken the client 3-4 months to find their first sponsor; having to look for another one and get them approved would mean the client would be stuck in Guatemala for an extended period of time. This news was particularly distressing because the client is a caretaker for their spouse who has an urgent medical condition and had to leave their spouse to go to Guatemala for the interview.
Diaz had previously checked the sponsor’s income to ensure it was above the minimum requirement. Not only was the sponsor’s income above, combined with the sponsor’s spouse’s income, the sponsor was far above.
DeMine again, on behalf of Diaz, sent the according documents off to the consulate to prove that the sponsor’s income was, in fact, adequate. The consulate rightfully overturned its previous decision, and now, the client is back in the United States.
In each of these cases, Diaz’s careful attention to detail and her dedication to advocating for her clients ensured that mistakes were caught and corrected, ultimately leading to successful outcomes. Her commitment to ensuring clients' success is a testament to DeMine Immigration's mission of providing exceptional legal support and advocacy.
About DeMine Immigration Law Firm
DeMine Immigration Law Firm is a privately-held immigration law firm that practices all areas of immigration law and serves clients worldwide. The company has two offices based in Southwest Florida, one at 1601 Hendry St. in Fort Myers and one at 1400 E Kimdale St. E Suite 8 in Lehigh Acres. DeMine Immigration Law Firm employs 15 people under President Indera DeMine. The company’s mission statement is to help clients achieve their American dream. For more information, visit www.DeMineImmigration.com, follow on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok or call 239-208-2680.
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