Happy New Year!
 
Thank you for helping make 2006 a great year for Just Neighbors.  We have worked with hundreds of immigrants this year (the final count will be in soon) and have taken on more time-intensive cases, primarily those involving domestic violence.  With your support, we look forward to continuing to expand our services in 2007.

Client Story

“I don’t know what we would have done without you,” Mr. "Vande" said to his Just Neighbors attorney, glad that his family’s long road with Immigration was complete.

Mr. Vande had come to the United States seven years ago on a “Diversity Lottery” visa, which allows individuals selected by lottery from particular countries to obtain permanent resident status in the United States and bring their family members. 

When Mr. Vande had received the news that he had obtained his diversity visa, he had little time to prepare since he had to use it to travel to the United States within months if he wanted his green card.  Mr. Vande had recently remarried and he and his wife were expecting their first child.  He had applied so long ago that his new wife and future child were not on his application, but he made the decision to come anyway and brought his two children from his first marriage as he was permitted to do.  The three arrived in the United States and Mr. Vande worked hard to support his family, both here in the United States and in his home country in Africa. 

Mr. Vande’s wife and their son, born shortly after the father’s arrival in the United States, applied for green cards in 1999 as his wife and child.  The two relatives came over on a “V” visa, which allows spouses and children of green card holders to be reunited with their United States permanent resident relative after three years and have work permits while they wait for their priority date to become current so they can finish the application process.

United in this country, the Vandes had a second child and as a family of six, it was hard to make ends meet, even with both husband and wife working.  The Vandes could not afford the medical exams required by Immigration to complete their applications.  Just Neighbors office volunteers went to work on finding a low-cost doctor for the family so the mother and son could finish their applications.  In the meantime, bureaucratic snafus had resulted in the family’s immigration notices going to the wrong address.  Just Neighbors staff worked with the Vandes and Immigration to rectify the situation but the problem continued. 

In July 2006, Mrs. Vande found out that she and her son had had their green card applications denied because they had missed their interviews.  However, the notices showed that they had been sent to the Vandes’ old address—even though the Vandes and Just Neighbors had done everything they were supposed to do to inform Immigration of their new address.

A Just Neighbor attorney immediately began drafting letters and submitting evidence to Immigration explaining that since the error was clearly with the Immigration service, the Vandes should not have to pay the necessary fee to have their case reopened and instead should promptly be rescheduled for interviews.  Through follow-up meetings with the Immigration office, officials ultimately agreed with Just Neighbors and the Vandes had their interview five months later.  A Just Neighbors attorney accompanied the family to the interview and the family was granted permanent residence status the same day!

Mrs. Vande can now work and she and her son will be eligible to apply for citizenship in three years so they can become citizens just like the rest of their family.  The Vande’s experience exemplifies that hard work can pay off and that it always helps to have an ally along the way. 

Around the Office
 
Just Neighbors is excited to welcome Linda Johnson to our staff!  Linda, an attorney from Boston with experience in immigration law, will start in mid-January.  As a Staff Attorney at Just Neighbors, she will work alongside the other two attorneys here to assist clients with a variety of their immigration legal needs. 
 
Just Neighbors has added a new page to our Website called “Resources and Links”.  We will continually be adding to this compilation of immigration-related resources as well as information about other service providers in the Northern Virginia area.  This resource is part of our ongoing effort to educate the community about immigration law and to enable low-income immigrants to find the help they need.  Please let us know of additional resources that might be helpful to include.
 
Volunteers
 
Congratulations to Wade’ Dennis, our Volunteer of the Month.  Wade’ spent the entire week of December 18th (during her break from law school!) in our office filling out immigration forms and meeting with clients.  Wade’, who has been a key volunteer at our Community Clinics over the years, also recruited Liberians to renew their Temporary Protected Status through Just Neighbors this fall.
 
Fundraising
 
Just Neighbors is honored to receive a grant from the Giving Circle of HOPE (www.givingcircleofhope.org), which is a group of women in Northern Virginia who are committed to Helping Other People Everyday.  Their contribution will support one of our Community Clinics in 2007.  We also received a generous donation from the Harman Family Foundation, which supports organizations in the Washington, DC region.
 
Thank you to everyone who has supported us throughout our Annual Campaign.  We have had a strong response in December and hope you will be able to make a contribution in the coming days.
 
Happy Holidays!
Rob