Find a lawyerOur capabilitiesYour careerSearch
Locations
Our capabilities
News

Select language:

Locations
Our capabilities
News

Select language:

hamburger menu showcase image
  1. About us
  2. Case studies
  3. US immigration support
A family reunited after a near-decade-long struggle
A Freshfields pro bono team has helped secure the long-awaited reunion of our client and her son, who had been separated for nearly 10 years.
hero-banner-image

They last saw each other in 2011, when our client left the Philippines to work for a family in Qatar. Upon her arrival, she had her passport and employment contract taken away from her, was forced to work under difficult conditions and was unable to return home.

In 2013, the employer family brought our client with them to the US under false pretences. Upon arrival, she once again had her passport taken from her. In January 2014, our client eventually managed to escape and fled to New York City, where she has been living ever since.

With help from Sanctuary for Families, Freshfields successfully obtained status for our client in the US and obtained a US visa for her son.

However, while our client’s son was originally scheduled to arrive in New York in March 2020, his travel was cancelled due to COVID-19.

After several months of uncertainty, in July, our client and her son were happily reunited at JFK Airport in New York. After getting home with her son, our client sent us the following text message to thank us: ‘I’m so very happy. This is the greatest thing that’s happened in my life. Again thank you very much.’

We now look forward to assisting our client’s son in applying for an employment authorization document.

Related case studies

View our case studies
secondary-card-image
Supporting visa applications for Iraqi and Afghan nationals under threat

Since 2018, a Freshfields team, in partnership with the International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP), has been fighting for the swift processing of visa applications for Afghans and Iraqis facing mortal danger for helping US forces and who have applied for special immigrant visas (SIVs) to enter the US.

Read More

secondary-card-image
secondary-card-image
Legal tech to promote refugee rights

A ground-breaking app developed by Freshfields gives refugees in Hong Kong increased access to their legal rights and enables our pro bono client, Justice Centre Hong Kong (JCHK), greater capacity to focus on critical assistance.

Read More

secondary-card-image
Team
Washington, DC
Lauren KaplinCounsel
New York
Hannah KhalifehSenior Associate
FIND US IN
All locations
NAVIGATE TO
About usYour careerOur thinkingOur capabilitiesNews
CONNECT
Find a lawyerAlumniContact us
NEED HELP
Fraud and scamsComplaintsTerms and conditions
LEGAL
AccessibilityCookiesLegal noticesTransparency in supply chains statementResponsible procurementPrivacy

© 2025 Freshfields. Attorney Advertising: prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome

Select language: