It goes without saying that not all attorneys are created equal, and Beyond is well aware of that. Unfortunately, this fact often discourages community members from seeking legal aid. Thankfully, Ruben never gave up on himself. He immigrated from Cameroon to the U.S. in 2015. Prior to coming to Beyond, Ruben had been abandoned by multiple attorneys after applying for asylum and he started to lose hope. As a last-ditch effort, Ruben came to Beyond in 2019 for an intake with community partner, Vietnamese Association of Illinois, looking to renew his employment authorization document.

Since then, Beyond has partnered with Ruben to not only renew his EAD, but we also represented him in his ongoing asylum hearings. It took two years for Ruben and Beyond to receive the result of his asylum application, which is unfortunately standard timing now. During this waiting period, Ruben said, “I was skeptical at first because I was dropped by 2 lawyers already. I was confused and I didn’t want the same thing to happen. Thankfully it didn’t and my Beyond attorney, Daniel, stuck with me until the end.”

Ruben’s asylum was finally approved in October 2022, and he felt instant relief. He said, “before I was not living like other people. I was living in fear and always worried. It was all relieved once my application was approved. It’s time for me to use all the opportunities I now have.” Please consider supporting Beyond, so that we may continue empowering community members to find their own relief.