Immigration decisions Threaten Rule of Law

With the President‘s proclamation of Buy American-Hire American and with “no tolerance” declarations coming from Homeland Security and the Attorney General, the immigration service (USCIS) has been issuing illogical decisions in many cases which fail to follow the rule of law.

Our immigration system is based on laws and federal regulations. As a Board Certified Immigration lawyer I am hearing reports  from immigrants and their attorneys across the country that the government is ignoring the law and denying otherwise approvable immigration cases. In cases of legal immigrants that were previously approved, such as non-immigrant investors, intra-company transfers and other temporary workers these people are seeing their renewal applications denied. The law has not changed, but the government is too often choosing to ignore the law or otherwise is giving the law a skewed interpretation never seen in historical precedent.

At my office, this Houston immigration lawyer and Miami immigration lawyer has seen cases based on clear evidence being denied. The USCIS in many cases is completely ignoring the evidence and denying cases with no reasonable or logical explanation, thereby making a mockery of the rule of law. I am seeing this trend across the board, from deportation cases, to business immigration cases, to immigration marriage cases and to student visa cases. It is also seeping into the political asylum process and every other type of immigration case.

It used to be that if a case is mistakenly denied or denied because the government overlooked certain evidence, a person could file a Motion to Reopen or Motion to Reconsider. Unfortunately, that process is also being made into a mockery. Either the USCIS chooses to ignore such motions to fix a denial, by letting them sit there for years with no decision (while the person remains subject to deportation while waiting), or they  deny the motion on improper and wrong technical grounds without considering the merits of the motion. At this point, I often tell my clients not to bother with such motions.

What is an American spouse or  sponsoring company to do when they follow all the rules and receive an unfair decision? For years, the final answer for my clients has been litigation. For many years, I have filed lawsuits against Homeland Security and other government agencies for wrongful denials of immigration cases. While these have been few and far between over the years, the recent uptick in illogical, unfair, and, dare I say–illegal—denials, warrants the need for more  immigration lawsuits to be brought.

Ultimately, a federal judge has the ability to order the reversal of a decision if it is arbitrary, capricious or not in accordance with the law. I encourage immigrants, non-immigrant workers, companies, American spouses of foreign nationals, immigrant students and others to challenge these improper denials by taking their cases to federal court and asking a federal judge to consider the evidence (something that USCIS is all-to-often failing to do).

For further information, this Houston immigration lawyer (713.850.0066) and Miami immigration lawyer (305.538.6800) may be reached by phone or via email at bruce.coane@gmail.com.

 

K-1 Visa Adjustment of Status and the Affidavit of Support

eA very common issue with K-1 visa holders, is whether they need an affidavit of support when they apply for adjustment of status in the USA. After-all, they would have provided an affidavit of support to the USA Consulate at the time that they were applying for the K-1 visa.

photo: MigrationPK

K-1 visa holders must marry their fiance within 90 days of entering the USA. Thereafter, they can file for adjustment of status from the K-1 visa to a green card. The immigration service in the USA will require another affidavit of support with the I-485 form. The question is what to do if the parties are separated or divorced, and the immigrant cannot get another affidavit of support.

Recently, in the case of Matter of Sesay, the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) confirmed that an immigrant can still get a green card even if they are no longer married to the USA citizen sponsor.. What the BIA did not discuss, is what happens to the requirement of the affidavit of support.

I have had several clients come to my office after entering on a K-1, getting married and divorced, and having their adjustment denied because they had no new affidavit of support. In one case, this month, the immigration service actually approved my client’s green card, even with no new affidavit of support. Fortunately she had a copy of the affidavit of support that was presented at the USA consulate when she got the K-1 visa. That was not enough initially , however, as the immigration service previously denied her adjustment case when she could not provide a NEW affidavit of support. I convinced them to reopen that case, and they approved it.

I have another K-1 adjustment case in Immigration Court with the same exact issue. Hopefully the immigration judge will agree with me, or the government lawyer will withdraw their demand for a new affidavit of support. In the end, however, the purpose of the affidavit of support is to prove that the immigrant will not become a public charge. You would think that the original affidavit would be enough, or that other evidence would be sufficient to allow fiances to get the green card to which they are entitled under the law.

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About the author: Bruce Coane is an attorney who specializes in labor and employment law and immigration law, with offices in Florida and Texas. He may be reached at bruce.coane@gmail.com, 713-850-0066 or 305-538-6800.

Can you bring your foreign fiancé to the US for marriage?

Congratulations — You are newly engaged and planning to bring your foreign fiancé to the United States for marriage. You’ve done some research, and you downloaded the Form I-129F, Petition for Alien Fiancé. You’ve done your Internet research: Wikipedia, free online resources, case law, advice from friends and family, and the list goes on. You may be thinking, “This looks easy, maybe I should just do it myself. It will save me money”. Sure you can do it yourself and save money, but you do really understand the complex process? On paper it looks simple, but wait, the buck stops here.

There are many compelling reasons to hire an immigration lawyer to handle your fiancé visa.

Here are the top 5:

1. Immigration Lawyers Know the Law
U.S. Immigration law is complicated, even for some lawyers. Also, the rules are constantly changing, and it helps to have someone who is up to date on the latest laws and statutes.

2. An Immigration Lawyer Can Represent You
Only a licensed lawyer can represent you before the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (where the fiancé visa petition is filed), the National Visa Center (where the name checks are conducted) or at the U.S. Embassy or Consulate (where your fiancé will be interviewed and the K-1 visa will be issued).

3. An Immigration Lawyer Get Things Done Faster
If you choose to prepare your own fiancé visa petition, you will quickly realize there are a number of forms required. You may have to stop frequently to do more research. An experienced immigration lawyer will prepare your fiancé visa petition quickly and correctly.

4. An Immigration Lawyer Can Prevent Costly Mistakes
There are multiple rules regarding your fiancé’s ability to travel to the United States during the fiancé visa process. For example, if your fiancé is issued a K-1 visa, they must use it to enter the U.S. and not any other visa and you must marry within a specified period of time. Mistakes in this regard can result in you having to start the fiancé visa process all over again (including paying the fees) or your fiancé being unable to remain in the U.S.

5. An Immigration Lawyer Can Prevent Lengthy Delays
Out of all the reasons for hiring an immigration lawyer, this is the most compelling for many engaged couples. According to the Office of Immigration Statistics, approximately 40 to 60% of all fiancé visa petitions filed every year are not approved. Thus, an experienced, knowledgeable immigration lawyer can prevent any lengthy delays and give you peace of mind.

If the USCIS finds some technical mistake or omission in the paperwork you submitted to them, they will send you a formal letter (also known as a Request for Evidence or RFE) telling you what you did wrong. This form will often be sent several months after you originally filed your petition. Often, when you submit the required correction, they will again wait several months and again return the forms to you with another cover-sheet informing you of a second technical error or omission. Even writing N/A in a box can result in an RFE. Each RFE may add about six more months to the process.

Call us at Coane & Associates at 713-850-0066 (Houston) or 305-538-6800 (Miami) today for a consultation with one of our experienced immigration lawyers. Also, visit us on the web at http://www.coane.com.