In 1991 I founded the first immigration law firm in the world that limited its practice to K-1 fiancée visas and CR-1/IR-1 spousal visas. My firm, Holmes & Ramos Immigration Attorneys LLP, originally handled visas exclusively for fiancées and spouses from the former USSR. With just myself and a paralegal, we were able to provide excellent service to our clients. Then in 1995 the internet came along and by advertising on the internet we were able to obtain clients with fiancées and spouses in countries all over the world. By 1999 my practice had grown to the point where we needed more help to properly service our clients so I brought my son Christopher into the firm as a senior paralegal. By 2000 we were growing so fast that in order to continue to give the excellent service we were known for, I decided to bring a partner into the firm. Our firm more than doubled the amount of visas we were handling each year and of course so did the staff.
In early 2010, I formed a new boutique immigration law firm that handles only fiancée and spousal visas and the processes ancillary to them. My goal in doing this was very simple, to provide EXCELLENT SERVICE to every single one of our clients.
The immigration law firm I started in 2010 grew very rapidly to the point where, in addition to the five paralegals working for it, I needed another immigration attorney to keep up with the volume. In 2016 Attorney Melanie Ramos joined the firm.
Melanie originally worked with me as a paralegal in 2009. She eventually went to law school, graduated and became a licensed attorney. While she was attending law school and after graduating from law school she worked for me on a part-time basis.
Because of her extensive experience in handling K1 Fiancée Visas, CR1/IR1 Spousal Visas, adjustments of status (green cards), hardship waivers, and naturalizations, on January 1, 2018 I made Melanie a Partner in my law firm and we changed the name to Holmes & Ramos Immigration Attorneys LLP.
Melanie and I are both attorneys licensed to practice immigration law in all 50 states. Not only do we obtain visas for residents of all countries, but we also handle the K-1 fiancée and CR-1/IR-1 marriage visa processes for U.S. citizens from all 50 states as well as those living overseas. These include both members of our military serving overseas as well as civilians living outside of the U.S. The reason why the location of the law firm is not important when obtaining fiancée and marriage visas is because none of the process is handled at local USCIS offices. For example, the K1 fiancée visa and the CR1/IR1 marriage visa petitions are filed at one of two regional service centers. When approved there, the files are transferred to the National Visa Center where background checks are performed on both the petitioner and the beneficiary. Then the files are transferred to the Consulate which will perform the interview of the fiancée or spouse and issue the visa.
Not only have I been obtaining K1 fiancée visas and CR1/IR1 marriage visas longer than any other practicing immigration attorney, but since 1991 my firm has obtained more of these visas than any other law firm in the U.S.
Finally, I want to emphasize that the purpose of this website is not to explain every minute detail involved with fiancée and marriage visas. Regardless of the amount of information I could give you regarding this subject, you are never going to become a visa expert. To become an expert you must have actual experience in handling marriage or spousal visa petitions and applications. Your experience must be both current and with the Consulate that will handle your visa application. With 28 years of processing nothing but K-1 fiancée and CR-1/IR-1 marriage visas through over 140 different U.S. Consulates throughout the world, I consider myself an expert on these visas.
The purpose of this website is simply to explain what we do (K-1 fiancée visas and CR-1/IR-1 marriage visas), explain why we are doing it (to provide excellent service to our clients which I believe is currently lacking in the industry) and explain why we believe my firm is the best qualified to deliver this level of service (knowledge and experience).
If I have accomplished the above, I hope you will contact us and give us the opportunity to further convince you that the immigration law firm of Holmes & Ramos Immigration Attorneys LLP is the right firm to handle your fiancée or marriage visa needs.
