WHO WE ARE
Our Grateful Nation (OGN) is an IRS recognized 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving military family unity by guiding immigrant relatives of current and former U.S. service members through lawful, federally recognized immigration processes. We focus on Military Parole in Place (MIL-PIP), a humanitarian immigration benefit administered by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and adjudicated by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. OGN was incorporated in the State of Nevada, in 2020 and recognized by the U.S. Department of Justice in 2022 to provide representation in federal immigration matters through its accredited representatives.
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OGN was founded by LtCol Marvin who is the sole attorney in the U.S. specializing in the MIL-PIP program. LtCol Marvin became very aware of the limitations of a single law firm in being able to help the many military/immigrant families eligible for this form of relief. He therefore created OGN.
Read more about our founder LtCol William J. Marvin and his passion for helping military families.
WHY WE’RE HERE
The strongest link in our Nation’s defense is its force of trained, motivated, patriotic Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, and Marines. Many of these service members are immigrants, or the children of immigrants. This includes the families of past and present U.S. service members.
Military Parole in Place exists because the federal government recognizes that military readiness depends on family stability. Policy from the Department of Homeland Security allows certain undocumented family members of service members to seek temporary protection and lawful processing consideration, ensuring that those who serve our nation are not forced to choose between duty and family.
An active-duty U.S. service member, Reservist, National Guard member, or honorably discharged veteran may request Military Parole in Place (MIL-PIP) on behalf of certain qualifying immediate family members—most commonly parents, spouses, or children—who are present in the United States without lawful status. MIL-PIP is a discretionary humanitarian benefit administered by the Department of Homeland Security and adjudicated by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. When granted, it allows the family member to remain lawfully in the United States for a designated period and, in many cases, to apply for employment authorization and, if otherwise eligible, adjustment of status to lawful permanent residence.
Parole authority has existed in U.S. immigration law since 1952 and has historically been exercised on a discretionary, case-by-case basis. Military Parole in Place developed through DHS policy to address the unique hardships faced by military families and to promote readiness, stability, and family unity. While Congress has acknowledged the importance of parole authority in legislation such as the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020, MIL-PIP itself remains a DHS-administered program grounded in existing immigration law and policy.
Our Grateful Nation was formed to raise awareness of Military Parole in Place and to help immigrant military families understand and navigate this federally adjudicated process. Through education, guidance, and support, OGN works to preserve military family unity—strengthening both the families who serve and the nation they defend.
OUR FOUNDER
LtCol William J. Marvin, U.S. Marines (Ret)
President
LtCol Marvin has decades of relevant experience as an infantry officer and in both military and immigration law. Before attending law school as a Marine Corps Captain, LtCol Marvin served as a weapons and tactics instructor, as a company commander in a deployed infantry battalion (BLT 1/9), and at Headquarters U.S. Marine Corps (HQMC), administering the USMC’s first-term reenlistment program. Subsequently, LtCol Marvi n worked as a Marine Corps lawyer in positions of increasing responsibility, as a Special Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA) for the U.S. Department of Justice, and as a member of the existing USMC Special Operations Training Group (SOTG). LtCol Marvin’s maternal grandparents emigrated to the USA from the Austro-Hungarian Empire (Ukraine and Poland).
LtCol Marvin is the sole attorney in the U.S. specializing in the MIL-PIP program. However, he became very aware of the limitations of a single law firm in being able to help the many military/immigrant families eligible for this form of relief. He therefore created OGN, a nationwide nonprofit that could – and will – make MIL-PIP possible for the greatest number of service members, veterans, enlistees, and their families.
*N.B.: LtCol Marvin is a retired member of the United States Marine Corps Reserve (USMCR). Use of his military rank and job titles does not, and is not intended to imply endorsement by the USMC, Department of the Navy, or Department of Defense (DoD), of OGN or his activities.
