Opinion ID: 2329302
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Relevant Immigration Law

Text: This disciplinary case concerns legal advice Respondent provided regarding an immigration matter. We provide a brief overview of pertinent immigration law before discussing Respondent's representation. First, several governmental agencies are vested with authority over immigration matters. Visas are issued by U.S. consulates, which are units of the State Department. Before March 1, 2003, immigration matters other than consular matters were primarily handled by the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS). On March 1, 2003, INS ceased to exist; its responsibilities were divided among agencies in the newly formed Department of Homeland Security (DHS), one of which, as relevant here, is Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). [6] The State Department and DHS have issued separate regulations and guidance governing administration of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). [7] The INA restricts admission [8] into the United States by persons who are not U.S. citizens or nationals, denominated aliens. [9] An alien who has entered the United States without being admitted or paroled is deemed to be unlawfully present. [10] If an alien has been unlawfully present in the United States for more than one year, he or she is presumptively inadmissiblethat is, barred from lawful re-entryfor ten years from the date he or she leaves the United States, under the waivable ten-year bar. [11] Among the possible waivers of this bar is the hardship waiver, which is available to an alien who is married to a U.S. citizen and who can demonstrate that refusal of admission would cause exceptional hardship for the alien's spouse. [12] By contrast, an alien who unlawfully reenters or attempts to re-enter the United States after having previously entered the country unlawfully and stayed for more than one year is subject to the non-waivable ten-year bar. [13] This means the alien is ineligible for a hardship waiver and cannot legally reenter the United States for at least ten years. [14] The hardship waiver also is unavailable for an alien who has been subject to an order of removal. [15] We now turn from standards governing admissibility to the process for legally entering the United States. In most instances, a foreign national must apply for a visa before traveling to the United States. There are two types of visas: non-immigrant visas, which grant temporary permission to enter the country, and immigrant visas, which authorize permanent residency. [16] A visa does not itself guarantee entry into the United States, but rather permits a foreign national to arrive at a port of entry and be examined for admissibility by an immigration officer. [17] A foreign national who is engaged or married to a U.S. citizen must follow certain procedures to obtain a visa based upon that relationship. A K-1 nonimmigrant visa is available for a U.S. citizen's fiancé(e) who seeks to enter the United States in order to marry the U.S. citizen. [18] The first step is for the U.S. citizen to file Form I-129F with USCIS, providing information about the intended marriage. [19] Upon approval of that application, the foreign national may obtain a K-1 visa at a U.S. consulate, as long as he or she is also eligible for an immigrant visa. [20] The foreign national must marry his or her fiancé(e) within ninety days of entering the United States [21] and subsequently may adjust his or her status to that of a lawful permanent resident. [22] There are two different routes by which a foreign spouse of a U.S. citizen may obtain permanent residency: through an immigrant visa or a nonimmigrant visa. [23] Under the first optionthe immigrant visa route the U.S. spouse first files Form I-130 [24] to document the marital relationship, then the foreign spouse files an application for an immigrant visa and attends a consular visa interview. [25] The second path to obtaining permanent residencythe non-immigrant visa routeis intended to shorten the time spouses are physically separated, by permitting a foreign spouse to obtain a K-3 non-immigrant visa [26] abroad and then enter the United States to await approval of the immigrant visa petition. [27] After the U.S. spouse has filed Forms I-130 and I-129F and the immigrant visa application is pending, the foreign spouse applies for a K-3 visa in the U.S. consulate of the country where the marriage took place. [28] Once the consulate issues that visa, the beneficiary can travel to the United States to await processing of the immigrant visa petition. [29] The visa processes outlined above are only part of the procedure a foreign national engaged or married to a U.S. citizen must follow if the foreign national is subject to the waivable ten-year bar. In that case, after filing a visa application, the foreign national must file Form I-601 at a U.S. consulate to obtain a hardship waiver. [30] The applicant has the burden to prove his or her eligibility for the waiver. [31] The consulate typically forwards waiver applications to USCIS, which has authority to approve or reject them. [32]