Opinion ID: 1961094
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The Visa Process

Text: The hearing court qualified petitioner's witness, Laurence Johnson, as an expert on immigration matters. Mr. Johnson testified that obtaining a L-1 Visa requires both the approval of the petition by the INS and the approval of the United States Consulate in the foreign country. Thus, the hearing court found that respondent had not procured a L-1 Visa for Mr. Lobo and respondent's repeated statements to the effect that he had obtained approval of the L-1 Visa for Lobo misstated the facts and the law. In fact, Mr. Johnson specifically refuted respondent's assertion made in a letter to Mr. Lobo, that the United States Consulate's role in the visa process was merely a rubber stamp. Respondent's testimony that Mr. Lobo's testimony is not credible because he was denied entry into the United States through a L-1 Visa was also refuted by Mr. Johnson's testimony. Mr. Johnson testified that one cannot make a negative inference concerning Mr. Lobo's character merely from the fact that the United States Consulate denied Mr. Lobo's L-1 Visa petition. Specifically, Mr. Johnson testified that Mr. Lobo's L-1 Visa petition, that had been denied by the United States Consulate in Bombay, India, had no notation referring to fraud, as is the usual practice when a petition is denied because of applicant fraud.