Sample Cases from our office

These are some sample cases from our files. It is impossible for us to present all have done past over 15 years of our practice. But these were some cases that came to mind when we started writing this column 2-3 years ago.

Category: H-1B Visa

We were recently retained to address a strange problem. An H-1 petition was approved, but the parties did not receive the approval notice for two years. The notice was apparently lost in the mail. They submitted an application for a duplicate approval notice, which also was issued and also lost in the mail. The employer then filed an application for an extension of status, which was granted without an I-94 attached to it. CIS considered the beneficiary to be out of status, because the employer had not placed the beneficiary on their payroll for two years. We submitted a motion to reconsider to USCIS as well as a supplemental brief together with an application for extension of H-1 status pointing out the legal implications of CIS decision.

The case was approved by USCIS with the I-94 attached.
DISCLAIMER: PAST APPROVAL OF A CASE IS NOT A GUARANTEE OR PREDICTION REGARDING THE OUTCOME OF FUTURE CASES. CASE RESULTS DEPEND UPON A VARIETY OF FACTORS UNIQUE TO EACH CASE.

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Type of case: F-1 Visa
Category: F-1 Visa

We were approached by the parents of an applicant whose application for an F-1 visa had been denied based on Section 214(b) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (possible immigrant).Normally, we would have not been able to do much.  But in this case, the visa applicant had already visited USA three times in the past and left in time.While it was true that her entire family lived in USA, the fact remained that she had never violated any US laws, despite having an opportunity to do so. We filed for reconsideration.

F-1 visa granted.
DISCLAIMER: PAST APPROVAL OF A CASE IS NOT A GUARANTEE OR PREDICTION REGARDING THE OUTCOME OF FUTURE CASES. CASE RESULTS DEPEND UPON A VARIETY OF FACTORS UNIQUE TO EACH CASE.

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Type of case: B-1/B-2 Visa
Category: B-1 Visa, B-2 Visa

We requested a reconsideration of a B-1/B-2 visa denial by a US Consulate in India. The applicant and his wife applied for visa to visit their son in the U.S. The wife was granted a 10 year multiple entry visa, but the husband's application was denied based on Section 214(b) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (possible immigrant). This obviously made no sense. Why would one of the husband-wife applicants be denied while the other one granted the visa?  We requested reconsideration, fully explaining the circumstances in his favor and providing further proof.

B-1/B-2 visa granted.
DISCLAIMER: PAST APPROVAL OF A CASE IS NOT A GUARANTEE OR PREDICTION REGARDING THE OUTCOME OF FUTURE CASES. CASE RESULTS DEPEND UPON A VARIETY OF FACTORS UNIQUE TO EACH CASE.

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Category: Litigation

Our client's original approved labor certification was lost in the mail. We tried numerous times to get a duplicate copy of the approved labor certification from the Department of Labor (USDOL) but couldn't get it from the USDOL. USCIS attempted to obtain a copy and informed us that they were making the attempt. We saw no results. So, we filed a lawsuit against the USDOL, USCIS and others (Defendants) alleging, among other matters, that under the law, USDOL should issue a duplicate labor certification within a reasonable time. In our complaint, we sought redress under the Administrative Procedure and Mandamus laws for defendants' failure to issue a duplicate labor certification.

The Defendants settled the case before submitting an answer to the complaint. Accordingly, USDOL issued a duplicate labor certification in favor of the Plaintiff and Plaintiff's Immigrant Petition (Form I-140) was approved within a few weeks.
DISCLAIMER: PAST APPROVAL OF A CASE IS NOT A GUARANTEE OR PREDICTION REGARDING THE OUTCOME OF FUTURE CASES. CASE RESULTS DEPEND UPON A VARIETY OF FACTORS UNIQUE TO EACH CASE.

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Category: Litigation

Our client, a citizen of Taiwan had filed an employment-based adjustment of status application. The Plaintiff's adjustment of status had been pending with the USCIS California Service Center for almost three and one half years. USCIS did not adjudicate his adjustment of status application since they could not get the name check clearance from the FBI. We filed a lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and others including the FBI to compel these agencies to adjudicate Plaintiff's AOS application. The case was filed under the Mandamus and Administrative Procedure Acts.

Approximately six months after the filing of the above-mentioned lawsuit, Plaintiff received his adjustment of status (green card). Subsequently, we filed a notice of dismissal with the DC federal court to dismiss the case without prejudice.
DISCLAIMER: PAST APPROVAL OF A CASE IS NOT A GUARANTEE OR PREDICTION REGARDING THE OUTCOME OF FUTURE CASES. CASE RESULTS DEPEND UPON A VARIETY OF FACTORS UNIQUE TO EACH CASE.

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