Understanding USCIS Officer Concerns Before Filing
USCIS officers play a critical role in our immigration system. These individuals have primary responsibility for determining if an applicant should receive adjustment of status or some other benefit. This fact surprises many people who wrongly assume that the courts play a leading role in doling out immigration benefits, but that is not the case.
Anyone seeking adjustment of status should work closely with an experienced immigration lawyer. Our firm has years of experience offering strategic immigration advice regarding USCIS discretionary review. Call us to learn more about how we can help your case.
What Concerns Do USCIS Officials Have?
A primary concern is to detect fraud. Immigration benefits have great value. Whether you are seeking to adjust status or to obtain a visa to come work in the U.S., you are seeking a substantial benefit from the government. Thousands of people in the past decade have committed immigration fraud to obtain green cards and visas.
Consequently, USCIS officers are sensitive to misrepresentation and omissions on applications. Sometimes a simple failure to provide a basic piece of information sets off alarm bells. In other situations, they feel an application fails to convey credibility when they present inaccurate or sloppy materials.
USCIS has increased the fraud-detection powers of immigration officials recently. For example, USCIS will engage in online review, including a close study of an applicant’s social media profile. Principally, officials are looking to see if any publicly available information contradicts information provided on your petition. If so, they will likely demand supporting documentation to help set the record straight. They can also ask directly about contradictory information in an interview.
Other concerns relate to caseload management. The immigration system continues to experience a heavy backlog of cases. Immigration officials will look kindly on your application if it is submitted with all supporting documentation upfront. Any subsequent request for evidence can slow down your case and possibly lead to a denial.
How Our Law Firm Helps
No one should try to adjust status without strategic legal advice. Attorney Sullivan understands USCIS discretionary review and how immigration credibility issues can sink an application.
Extensive planning pays off when it comes time to submit an application to USCIS. We delve deeply into your background to identify any potential problems. Our legal team knows how USCIS officials think, and we can pre-empt problems by identifying practical solutions. Meet with a lawyer to discuss any possible negative information that can arise on your application. For example, you might have a criminal history which dates back several years. That is something your lawyer wants to know about ahead of time. We might respond by gathering information about how you have been rehabilitated.
Reach Out for Strategic Immigration Planning
Some law firms wait for problems to arise and then try to tackle them, one by one. That’s not our approach. Today, applicants must put their best foot forward when seeking discretionary review or another benefit. Our firm excels with adjustment interview preparation and completing paperwork in a complete and error-free manner. Contact The Law Office of Jason M. Sullivan, PLLC to speak with a Portsmouth, New Hampshire or Miami, Florida immigration attorney.
Source:
newsweek.com/us-immigration-backlog-hits-all-time-high-2095846