Joy Alegria Haynes

[We are especially pleased to write this today as we just received confirmation that the immigration visa we had long sought has just been granted.] Finding Joy Haynes of Haynes Novick Immigration was the best thing we could have done. We had gotten in touch with Joy after having decided to seek a... Green Card for my spouse, who is South African.The dismantling of DOMA and the expansion of foreign same-sex partner rights afforded us the first real opportunity to seek immigration to the U.S. and while were excited, we also had trepidation. From our very first Skype meeting, Joy gave us the big picture -- all of the ins and outs, various scenarios as to how we could proceed -- and provided us not only a clear game plan but the confidence to move forward. We can tell you with certainty that Joy's advice and ongoing counsel saved us a lot of time, money and anxiety simply by directing us around hurdles and common mistakes that we saw a lot of other people making. It the end, what could have been anxiety-making was a breeze. It took time, as these things do, but the whole affair was as pain-free as anyone could have hoped it to be. What we learned is that the process can vary significantly from country to country, particularly if you are applying from the country of origin. Joy was able to identify and outline the process particular to South Africa, as well as some of the pitfalls that regularly trip people up. (Trust us, we consider ourselves relatively well educated but the process is actually quite tricky and we could have easily messed up at different stage in the process. Don't fools yourselves into thinking you can do it on your own; you can't.) Joy makes a point of crossing every "t," dotting every "i," and reviewing every piece of documentation coming and going. She and her team couldn't have been more meticulous. Moreover, she answers emails generally within a day and communicates completely, simply and with clarity. As for cost, we could say with that her counsel is a bargain at any price, but that would be glib. What we can say is that her firm's rates are incredibly reasonable by any standard. As far as we're concerned, we got far more than we paid for. We are fans, plain and simple, and remain grateful to Joy for finally enabling us, as an American and South African same-sex couple, to return the U.S. after 15 years. Thank you, Joy, Raisa and the rest of the Haynes Novick team!

Because of the repeal of DOMA, my wife and I wanted to have the help of a lawyer to assist us with our adjustment of status. We called around to a few lawyers - each wanted to charge us just to speak with them and we even had one who found it ridiculously amusing that we wanted to do what we set out... to do. It got to the point where when I called each lawyers office I asked first "how much would it cost to get information". When I finally called Joy's office, Mr Haynes just simply said "why would I charge you to just answer your question?"... let's talk he then said. Since we started working with Joy, she has been patient and extremely understanding and just so positive and encouraging. Her assistant Tyler also has been very helpful and thorough. They made our process seem so easy. We supplied information, they supplied the encouragement. Our prep session before our actual interview went so well, my wife and I felt so confident that our green card was going to get approved. Joy was even there before us on our interview date. We went in and we were out in about 15 mins or so with our approval. Joy and her team made a daunting experience seem like a walk in the park. Her experience and expertise is endless. I would absolutely recommend anyone searching for a lawyer to allow Joy and her team to work with you. You will not be disappointed.