We are so thankful for all the help we received from Greg McLawsen. He is so kind, and assisted us out of the goodness of his heart, agreeing to represent us pro bono because we could not afford an immigration attorney. We were pretty much about to give up after I was turned away from the US border multiple times starting in early November, and ending in late December when I finally got across. I was told I could not go and visit my husband (who I had been married to for over a year and a half) with an I-130 pending as I was an “intending immigrant” by their definition. He was an active duty military veteran, and I had just graduated from Naturopathic medical school. I was not yet working, and they said to be allowed across I had to show proof of working for at least a year to show I still had ties to Canada, and did not intend to stay in the US. I was unable to show them this, as I had been attending full time medical school for the past four years. The more times we tried to get me across, the meaner the border officers got, and at one point they even threatened to throw away thousands of dollars of my medical equipment that I had accidently left in my husband’s car. At this point we had had enough, and were wondering what we could possibly do on our limited budget. My husband compiled a huge list of immigration attorney’s in the state of Washington, and started calling them all to see if there was any advice or help that they could offer free of charge or low cost. We had no luck until we came across Greg McLawsen. We explained our situation, and luckily he agreed to help us. Right before Christmas, Greg came to meet us at the Peace Arch border crossing in Canada. He had prepared a document to accompany us, so that we could apply for Port of Entry Parole based on humanitarian reasons, and because my husband was active duty military. The border guards at secondary inspection refused to even speak to Greg, said I had no right to representation, and then sent him away. They refused to even look at the document he had so meticulously prepared. A few days later, my husband called to tell me we would be on Komo 4 news in a couple hours, and that they’d have me on via skype. On this news broadcast, Greg appeared and brought to light the often grim reality of the immigration system. The point he brought home is that I had been treated more harshly by immigration than I would have been if I had just “hopped the fence” and gotten into the US illegally. This highlighted the unfairness of a memorandum enacted by the Obama administration last November, which allowed military spouses who were illegally in the US to stay. I was informed on this same news broadcast that, thanks to Greg involving the media, that immigration had relented, and I would be granted Port of Entry Parole for a year. This year would allow me enough time to adjust my status legally, and obtain a Green card so I could begin working as a Naturopathic Doctor in the US. Though the process of obtaining work authorization is not yet complete, I have confidence that with Greg’s expertise it soon will be. Just to finally be able to live with my husband after 11 months apart (9 months of him in Afghanistan earlier that year and the previous year, and two months of me not being allowed in the US) was the greatest Christmas gift I could have gotten, and would not have been possible without Greg’s efforts. I highly recommend Greg McLawsen, as he holds all the qualities of a great lawyer, plus he has a big heart which aren’t what you’d expect from the average lawyer. Greg isn’t average though, he is extraordinary, and will get the job done even if it means thinking outside the box, and doing what has never been done. He doesn’t give up, and pursues a case, with tenacity, to completion, no matter how daunting it may seem.
