Presented by Gloria Contreras Edin and Ali Kraemer
The United States government is a powerful gatekeeper when a United States Citizen (“USC”) and a non-citizen wish to marry. There are a variety of options for a happy couple when the non-citizen has a legal and proper entry into the United States. If they have never visited the U.S. before, there are specific visas that exist for the primary purpose of becoming a spouse to a USC. However, what if the non-citizen spouse is already in the United States and does not have a proper entry or documentation? Do they still have positions? Of course, they do!
Our talk will walk through all of the most common approaches and issues for a marriage to a USC as a non-citizen. Firstly, we will cover a fiancé visa, spousal visa, waivers, and even the options to marry your spouse abroad. Secondly, we will discuss the various types of evidence needed to show that a relationship is real and will endure, as well as what to do when the non-citizen spouse is in removal proceedings. Thirdly, we will address what we have seen in our own cases, and offer advice to other lawyers who may be facing similar circumstances. And, lastly, we will also discuss the updates in immigration law, including whether or not same sex couples receive the same immigration benefits, and if there are any projected changes for the upcoming Biden administration.
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Gloria Contreras Edin
Gloria is the owner and head attorney of Contreras & Metelska, a law firm in St. Paul, MN that specializes in immigration law.
Through her years of practice, she has advised on thousands of complicated and sensitive immigration matters involving clients from more than 25 countries in North America, Central America, South America, Europe, Africa, & Asia. She also has a great deal of experience dealing with state courts, federal courts, and federal immigration agencies, and has acted as Amicus Curiae in high-stakes immigration proceedings in various U.S. Courts of Appeals.
As such, Gloria is a zealous advocate for protecting the rights of both children and adults who face removal from the United States so that families can stay together. In addition to her work at the firm, Gloria also plays an active role in the surrounding community where she writes and presents frequently on immigration and civil rights matters, and has served on numerous state-wide commissions, committees, and boards in which she has been recognized for her outstanding service.
Ali Kraemer
Ali Gandara Kraemer is an Associate Attorney at Contreras & Metelska, PA, she represents clients in various immigration matters, including asylum, cancelation of removal, U visa, and family-based applications.
Ali is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin Law School and the University of St. Thomas, where she majored in Political Science, International Relations, and Middle Eastern Studies, and minored in Women’s Studies.
During law school, Ali worked at the Wisconsin Innocence Project, where she helped investigate and litigate claims of innocence. She visited clients in prisons, interviewed witnesses, consulted forensic experts, drafted appellate briefs, and argued dispositive motions.
Ali also taught Political theory to undergraduates while at the University of Wisconsin. She enjoyed teaching students to consider knowledge structures and social justice and political institutions and demonstrated the importance of creating gender and racial equality through a historical and philosophical perspective. She finds that Political theory helps one think more logically about concepts such as equality, liberty, and justice and teaches us to be tolerant of other people’s attitudes or beliefs.
Ali grew up in St. Paul, Minnesota, until she moved to Madison, Wisconsin, for Law School. Ali likes traveling, reading about true crime, and spending time with her Siberian husky and cat.
