Westchester County, New York
Mandi Law Group helps Westchester County families navigate the U.S. immigration system — spousal green cards, I-130 family petitions, I-601A waivers for undocumented relatives, and USCIS interviews at 26 Federal Plaza. Serving Yonkers, White Plains, Mount Vernon, New Rochelle, Port Chester, and all of Westchester. Call (518) 698-0347.
Westchester County is home to a large and diverse immigrant population — Dominican families concentrated in Yonkers and Mount Vernon, Guatemalan and Honduran families in Port Chester and Ossining, Haitian and Jamaican communities in New Rochelle, and professional immigrants in White Plains and the towns along the Metro-North corridors. Many Westchester immigrants have U.S. citizen or LPR family members who can petition for them, but navigating the family petition process requires understanding the entry history, the unlawful presence rules, and the waiver options available.
Call (518) 698-0347 to discuss your family's immigration situation in Westchester.
U.S. citizens can petition for spouses, unmarried children under 21, and parents as immediate relatives — no waiting list, no per-country cap. LPRs can petition for spouses and unmarried children (F-2A/F-2B), subject to annual limits. We file I-130 petitions for Westchester families and handle the complete process through adjustment of status (USCIS interview at 26 Federal Plaza) or consular processing abroad.
Westchester County residents with approved family petitions who are already in the United States can apply for green cards through adjustment of status (I-485) at 26 Federal Plaza in Manhattan. We prepare complete I-485 packages including the I-765 work permit and I-131 travel document, and accompany clients to their USCIS interview.
Family members of Westchester immigrants living abroad obtain immigrant visas through consular processing. Westchester's Dominican population processes through the U.S. Embassy in Santo Domingo; Guatemalan and Honduran families through Guatemala City and Tegucigalpa; Haitian families through Port-au-Prince; Jamaican families through Kingston. We prepare complete DS-260 consular packages and coordinate with the National Visa Center.
Westchester immigrants who entered without inspection and must leave for consular processing face the unlawful presence bar upon departure. The I-601A provisional waiver allows them to apply for a waiver before leaving, reducing the risk of being stranded abroad. This is a critical pathway for Westchester's large undocumented population who have U.S. citizen spouses or parents.
U.S. citizens can petition for adult children (F-1, F-3) and siblings (F-4 — the longest waiting list category). LPRs can petition for spouses and unmarried children (F-2). These categories have per-country annual caps and backlogs. We file I-130 petitions immediately to secure the earliest priority date and advise on current waiting times for your specific country and category.
Conditional green cards issued after marriages of less than 2 years must be converted to permanent by filing I-751 within the 90-day window before expiration. Joint petitions require evidence of the ongoing marriage. Individual waivers are available for divorce, separation, and abuse situations. We file I-751 petitions for Westchester clients and ensure no gap in permanent resident status.
Westchester County residents attend USCIS adjustment of status interviews at 26 Federal Plaza in Lower Manhattan. This is the same complex that houses the New York Immigration Court. Biometrics (fingerprinting) is taken at the USCIS Application Support Center in Elmsford, Westchester County — so fingerprinting is local, but the actual I-485 interview is at 26 Federal Plaza. The interview is typically scheduled 12-18 months after filing. We accompany all Westchester clients to their 26 Federal Plaza interviews.
If you entered without inspection (crossed the border without a visa), you generally cannot adjust status inside the United States even as the immediate relative of a U.S. citizen. You would need to depart for a consular interview in Santo Domingo. However, departing after more than 1 year of unlawful presence triggers a 10-year bar from returning. Before leaving, you should apply for an I-601A provisional unlawful presence waiver, which requires showing that your U.S. citizen wife would suffer extreme hardship if you are denied entry. If the I-601A is approved, you depart, attend the consular interview, and return. This is the standard pathway for undocumented Dominicans in Yonkers and throughout Westchester. We handle I-601A waivers and the full consular process.
If you are a U.S. citizen and petitioned for your mother as an immediate relative, she should be able to come relatively quickly — parents of U.S. citizens are immediate relatives with no per-country waiting list. After I-130 approval, the National Visa Center processes the case and schedules a consular interview in Guatemala City. Current NVC processing and consular wait times add approximately 12-18 months after I-130 approval. If you are an LPR rather than a U.S. citizen, you cannot petition for a parent — only U.S. citizens can sponsor parents. Check your I-130 receipt notice to verify the petition category.
The F-2A category is for spouses and unmarried children under 21 of lawful permanent residents (LPRs). Unlike the immediate relative category (spouses of U.S. citizens), F-2A is subject to an annual numeric limit. For most countries, F-2A has relatively current or near-current priority dates — meaning the wait is measured in months to a couple of years rather than decades. However, priority date cutoffs move monthly, and the wait can extend during high-demand periods. We check the current Visa Bulletin to advise on expected timelines for your specific country, and file I-130 petitions immediately to get the earliest possible priority date.
Yes, but the pathway depends on how he entered the U.S. If he entered on a valid visa that expired (overstay), he can likely adjust status inside the U.S. at 26 Federal Plaza — overstaying does not bar adjustment for the immediate relative of a U.S. citizen. If he entered without inspection (crossed the border without a visa), he cannot adjust inside the U.S. and would need consular processing through the U.S. Embassy in Guatemala City. Before departing, he should apply for an I-601A provisional unlawful presence waiver to address the 10-year bar. This is a common pathway for Guatemalan families in Port Chester, Ossining, and throughout Westchester. We advise on the specific pathway based on his entry history.
Family immigration takes time — start the process now. Contact Mandi Law Group to file your family petition today.