Immigration Testimonials Michigan Lawyer

Bethany McAllister

MS. MCALLISTER SAVED ME THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS AND YEARS OF SEPARATION FROM MY WIFE AND KIDS

Ms. McAllister saved me thousands of dollars and years of separation from my wife and children. When my family arrived on a K visa we went to a notary to help us with the green card applications. She told us that she was cheaper than attorneys and knew just as much as immigration lawyers. Unfortunately, she didn’t prepare the affidavit of support correctly and the officer sent us a letter requesting more financial documentation. I went to the same notary to help me again and she wrote a letter that didn’t fully respond to the requests. So, the USCIS sent my wife and children a letter ordering them to leave within 30 days or face deportation. The letter said that we could not appeal the decision. I was very worried because my wife was 8 ½ months pregnant and was hospitalized and could not travel. I saw Ms. McAllister 4 days before the deadline. She had a plan and two backup plans. She got the USCIS to extend the deadline so that we could refile the applications with the correct documentation. My wife and children now have their green cards. If she had not fixed the problem I would have had to wait several years, pay more filing fees, and pay for the DNA tests.

I am very pleased with her work because she doesn’t make false promises or pretend to have "connections" with the government. She just did her job honestly and did what I hired her to do.

— M.K., Yemen

IMMIGRATION COURT AND STUDENT VISA

I came to the U.S. on a student visa. I had financial problems and was very depressed and stopped my studies. I was traveling from Florida with some friends. The cops stopped us for a traffic violation. I was only in trouble because I had stopped studying. I They ran my name through the computer and found out that I was out of status. I spent 5 days in an immigration detention center. They sent my file to immigration court. Ms. McAllister helped me to get reinstated and the Immigration Judge terminated the court proceedings. Since that time, I have gotten married and have maintained my legal status. I now have a job working for the U.S. government. If she had not gotten my F-1 reinstated, I would have had to return to India without completing my Ph.D.

-V.R., India

BATTERED SPOUSE

I got my green card under the Violence Against Women Act. My husband mentally abused me. When I went to the I-751 interview to get my permanent green card, the officer asked for more information. My husband threatened to tell the USCIS that I married him just to get a green card if I didn’t give him money. I refused to give him money and he wrote a letter to the officer accusing me of fraud. A few weeks later, I got a letter telling me that I had to go to court or face deportation.

I went to Ms. McAllister and she really listened to my problems so that she could understand my situation. She interviewed all of my family members and prepared their affidavits. She worked so hard in getting evidence. She got the VAWA case approved and the Immigration Judge terminated my case. It was a long process, but she held my hand all the way.

— R.K. , Australia

MS. MCALLISTER HAS A FULL TIME TRANSLATOR WHO SPEAKS ARABIC

I speak Arabic and I don’t know a lot of English. My problem wasn’t very big but it was hard for me to get my problem fixed because I can’t speak English. I was very embarrassed and I didn’t want to take any friends or family members with me to see a lawyer. Ms. McAllister doesn’t speak very much Arabic, but she has a full time assistant who does. I’m glad that I saw Ms. McAllister because she cares enough about her clients to have a full-time Arabic speaker on staff.

-H.M., Egypt

MS. MCALLISTER SPEAKS MY LANGUAGE

I am a business owner from Brazil. I went to see Ms. McAllister about some immigration concerns. I was happy to find that she used to live in Brazil and speaks perfect Portuguese. Even though I speak pretty good English, it was refreshing to see an attorney who speaks foreign languages, and especially my language.

– A.A., Brazil

CONSULAR PROCESSING

MS. MCALLISTER FIXED THE PROBLEMS THAT THE EMBASSY AND DNA TESTING LAB CAUSED

I became a U.S. citizen and I filed an I-130 for my wife and kids who were living in Yemen at the time. For some reason, the California Service Center refused to approve it and sent the file to the Detroit District Office. They gave me one year to do the DNA testing. I paid for 6 tests and spent thousands of dollars. Unfortunately, there was some sort of mixup between the Embassy and the lab. Since the USCIS didn’t accept the test, I was running out of time because my deadline was almost finished. Ms. McAllister ended up getting me more time to respond because the mistake was not my fault. She convinced the medical lab not to charge me to do the tests again. I was so happy because she saved me lots of money and time. If the USCIS denied my I-130, I would have had to start everything all over again.

– N.H., Yemen

MS. MCALLISTER CARES

My husband was deported 7 years ago. We have two beautiful daughters and I have to travel between the U.S. and his country just to keep our family together. In fact, it took me 6 years to finish my associates degree. My husband finally had his interview but his case wasn’t approved right away because they don’t believe that our marriage is sincere. That’s crazy because we have made so many sacrifices. Embassy sent my file back to the USCIS. Ms. McAllister continues to work hard on my case. She told me that we have to exhaust our administrative remedies before filing a law suit against the State Department. With immigration, things aren’t always fast and we don’t always get what we want and deserve. But, even though this process is stressful and humiliating, Ms. McAllister reminded me that I have dignity. I recommend Ms. McAllister because even when things get difficult, I really need a lawyer who cares about how I feel as a human being, and not just about the case.

-Beth, U.S.