Most immigration law firms handle waivers as one component of a broad practice. Immigration Waiver Law Firm, P.C. built its entire identity around waivers. Gil Manzano has practiced immigration law since 2006, and his firm’s primary focus is on the I-601A, I-601, and I-212 waivers, which are the three main waiver types families need when a family member is deemed inadmissible to the United States. That narrow concentration, maintained over nearly two decades, reflects a deliberate choice to develop depth in a technically demanding area rather than breadth across all immigration categories.
Overview
Immigration Waiver Law Firm, P.C. is a family-based immigration and waiver practice based in Richardson, Texas, serving the Dallas-Fort Worth area. The firm was founded by Gil Manzano, who has been practicing immigration law since 2006. It operates as a bilingual practice, serving clients in both English and Spanish.
The firm’s work centers on helping families navigate the legal obstacles that arise when a family member is barred from entering the United States due to grounds of inadmissibility, which can include prior periods of unlawful presence, certain prior removal orders, or other bars to admission. The waiver process allows qualified applicants to seek forgiveness of those bars and move forward with their immigration case.
Paralegal Petra L. Melendez, who has 15 years of experience and established CartasPro LLC, works with the firm, providing additional bilingual support.
Practice Areas
Immigration Waiver Law Firm handles family-based immigration exclusively, with waiver petitions as its core specialty.
The I-601A Provisional Unlawful Presence Waiver allows certain individuals who are immediate relatives of U.S. citizens and who are present in the United States to apply for a waiver of the three-year or ten-year bar that results from accumulating unlawful presence. This waiver is filed before departing the United States for a consular interview, rather than after, which reduces the time a family is separated during the immigration process. The I-601A process requires demonstrating that the U.S. citizen spouse or parent would suffer extreme hardship if the waiver were not granted.
The I-601 Inadmissibility Waiver is the traditional waiver for various grounds of inadmissibility. Unlike the I-601A, which is filed before departure, the I-601 is typically filed in connection with the consular process. It covers a broader range of inadmissibility grounds, including unlawful presence bars for individuals who are not eligible for the I-601A, and certain other grounds of inadmissibility.
The I-212 Permission to Reapply waiver is required for individuals who were previously removed from the United States and are subject to a bar on reapplying for admission. This waiver is a prerequisite to pursuing any other immigration benefit for individuals with a prior order of removal.
Beyond waivers, the firm handles family-based immigration petitions, green card adjustment of status for clients who are eligible to apply within the United States, consular processing for clients applying from abroad, and green card renewals and replacements.
Attorney Profiles
Gil Manzano is the founding attorney. He has practiced immigration law since 2006 and is a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) and the American Bar Association. He is admitted to the Connecticut State Bar. His immigration law practice, based in Richardson, Texas, operates in the federal immigration system, which does not require a Texas bar license for most USCIS and consular work. Specific law school information is not publicly available.
Melissa Ceja is an attorney with the firm. Her specific credentials, bar admissions, and law school information are not publicly available.
Petra L. Melendez is a paralegal with 15 years of experience who works with the firm through CartasPro LLC. She provides bilingual support for the firm’s English and Spanish-speaking client base.
Location and Service Area
The firm’s office is at 100 N. Central Expressway, Suite 706, Richardson, TX 75080. A public phone number is not available in the sources reviewed for this profile. Contact is available through the firm’s website contact form at www.immigrationwaiverlaw.com/
The firm serves clients in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and surrounding Texas communities. For clients whose cases involve consular processing, the firm also handles the immigration aspects of cases where the applicant is currently abroad and needs to complete the process through a U.S. embassy or consulate.
Client Focus
Immigration Waiver Law Firm primarily serves families where one member is seeking to obtain or maintain lawful status in the United States and faces a specific bar to admission that requires a waiver. The core client is typically a person who has lived unlawfully in the United States and has a U.S. citizen spouse or parent, making them potentially eligible for the I-601A provisional waiver process.
The firm’s bilingual practice in English and Spanish reflects the demographics of the Dallas-area immigrant community it serves. Both Gil Manzano and the firm’s paralegal support through CartasPro LLC serve Spanish-speaking clients.
Consultation details and fee structures are not publicly available. Prospective clients should contact the firm through the website form at www.immigrationwaiverlaw.com/ to inquire.
FAQ
What is the difference between an I-601A and an I-601 waiver?
The I-601A is a provisional unlawful presence waiver filed before the applicant leaves the United States to attend a consular interview. It is available only to immediate relatives of U.S. citizens. The I-601 is the traditional waiver filed in connection with the consular process or in other contexts and covers a broader range of inadmissibility grounds. The firm handles both.
Who needs an I-212 waiver?
An I-212 waiver, formally called Permission to Reapply for Admission, is required for individuals who have been previously removed from the United States and are subject to a statutory bar on seeking re-entry. Without this waiver, they cannot apply for any other immigration benefit.
Does the firm serve Spanish-speaking clients?
Yes. The firm operates as a bilingual practice in English and Spanish. The firm’s paralegal support through CartasPro LLC also provides Spanish-language assistance.
Does the firm handle matters outside Texas?
The waiver and family-based immigration practice is governed by federal immigration law administered by USCIS and the State Department. Because this is a federal rather than state practice, the firm can assist clients whose cases involve consular processing abroad, not just clients physically present in Texas.
How long does an I-601 waiver take to process?
Processing times vary based on USCIS workload and the complexity of the case. A client review referenced an I-601 waiver approval in approximately four months, though that reflects one specific case and not a typical or guaranteed timeframe. Current USCIS processing times should be verified directly.
Closing
Immigration Waiver Law Firm’s concentration on the three main waiver categories reflects a practice philosophy built around depth in a technically specific area of immigration law. For Dallas-area families navigating the I-601A, I-601, or I-212 process, the firm’s nearly 20 years of exclusive focus on this work and its bilingual capability make it a specialized resource for what is often the most consequential step in a family’s immigration case.