Opinion ID: 3065063
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Landin

Text: Landin entered the United States without inspection in January 1999, after which the Immigration and Nationality Service (“INS”)4 initiated removal proceedings against him. On May 17, 2004, an immigration judge (“IJ”) determined that Landin was removable but granted him the privilege of voluntary departure. The very next day, Landin married Viviana Ojeda — a lawful permanent resident of the United States. Ojeda, who had grandfathered into § 1255(i), adjusted to lawful permanent resident status in April 2004, just weeks before marrying Landin. Landin then filed with the immigration court a timely 4 On March 1, 2003, the INS was abolished and its functions were transferred to the newly created Department of Homeland Security (“DHS”). Homeland Security Act of 2002, Pub. L. No. 107-296, tit. IV, § 471, 116 Stat. 2135, 2205 (2002). Because the relevant agency actions generally took place before this transfer, we refer to the INS in this opinion. LANDIN-MOLINA v. HOLDER 12187 motion to reopen his immigration proceedings and to stay his voluntary departure. Landin argued that, by virtue of his recent marriage to Ojeda, he was grandfathered into § 1255(i).5 The IJ denied the motion, concluding that Landin was not grandfathered because his marriage to Ojeda occurred after her status was adjusted. The Board of Immigration Appeals (“BIA”) affirmed without opinion under 8 C.F.R. § 1003.1(e)(4).6 [1] On appeal, Landin again advances the argument that he is entitled to grandfathered status under § 1255(i) based upon his wife’s having adjusted her status via the grandfathering regulations. In interpreting § 1255(i), we begin with the plain language of the statute. See Altamirano v. Gonzales, 427 F.3d 586, 592 (9th Cir. 2005). Section 1255(i) provides that the spouse of a qualifying principal alien is also eligible to seek the benefits of that provision, if the derivative spouse is eligible for a visa under 8 U.S.C. § 1153(d). See 8 U.S.C. § 1255(i)(1)(B). In turn, § 1153(d) requires that the derivative spouse be “accompanying or following to join” the principal spouse. 8 U.S.C. § 1153(d).7 Thus, under the plain language 5 Landin further contended that he was eligible for adjustment of status based on his substitution for another person in an approved labor certification application filed by his employer. Landin concedes that substituted beneficiaries in labor certification applications filed on or before April 30, 2001 are not grandfathered by regulation. See 8 C.F.R. § 245.10(j). 6 When the BIA affirms without opinion under its streamlining procedures, the BIA endorses the result reached by the IJ, but not necessarily the IJ’s reasoning. 8 C.F.R. § 1003.1(e)(4). The IJ’s decision is the final agency determination. Id. Therefore, we review the IJ’s decision as we would a decision of the BIA. See Lanza v. Ashcroft, 389 F.3d 917, 925 (9th Cir. 2004). 7 Section § 1153(d) provides in full: A spouse or child as defined in subparagraph (A), (B), (C), (D), or (E) of section 1101(b)(1) of this title shall, if not otherwise entitled to an immigrant status and the immediate issuance of a visa under subsection (a), (b), or (c) of this section, be entitled to the same status, and the same order of consideration provided in 12188 LANDIN-MOLINA v. HOLDER of § 1255(i), a derivative spouse is only eligible for an adjustment of status under that provision if he or she is “accompanying or following to join” the principal alien. As we recognized in Santiago v. INS, with the phrase “accompanying or following to join,” Congress intended to preserve family unity by permitting an alien who qualifies for immigrant status “to bring his family with him or to send for them later when he ha[s] the ability to do so.” 526 F.2d 488, 490-91 (9th Cir. 1975) (en banc) (interpreting 8 U.S.C. § 1153(a)(9)); see also Matter of Kahn, 14 I&N Dec. 122, 123-24 (BIA 1972), aff’d sub nom. Santiago, 526 F.2d 488. [2] Likewise, under the grandfathering regulations, a principal alien who is grandfathered into § 1255(i) may impart grandfathered status to a spouse, again provided that the spouse is eligible to receive a visa under § 1153(d). See 8 C.F.R. § 245.10(a)(1)(i). It follows, then, that if a derivative spouse is not “accompanying or following to join” the principal grandfathered alien, the spouse is not entitled to grandfathered status by virtue of the spousal relationship. Landin waived the argument that he is “accompanying or following to join” Ojeda. Indeed, he acknowledged before the IJ that he was ineligible to accompany or follow to join his wife within the meaning of § 1153(d) because the qualifying spousal relationship did not exist at the time she adjusted status to that of lawful permanent resident. Instead, Landin the respective subsection, if accompanying or following to join, the spouse or parent. 8 U.S.C. § 1153(d). The words “accompany” and “following to join” are terms of art defined in the regulations. A derivative beneficiary is considered to “accompany” the principal alien if he or she is in the physical company of the principal or is issued an immigrant visa within six months of the date that the principal receives immigrant status. 22 C.F.R. § 40.1(a)(1). After six months, the derivative beneficiary is “following to join” the principal. LANDIN-MOLINA v. HOLDER 12189 argued that the grandfathering provision was untethered from the “accompanying or following to join” requirement. We have trouble understanding this argument because it is at odds with § 1255(i)’s specific reference to § 1153(d), which requires that the spouse be “accompanying or following to join” the principal alien. See K.V. Mart Co. v. United Food & Commercial Workers Int’l Union, Local 324, 173 F.3d 1221, 1225 (9th Cir. 1999) (noting that statutes should be interpreted as whole, giving effect to each word, and should not be interpreted in a manner that renders words or provisions inconsistent, meaningless, or superfluous). Because Landin does not argue that he is (or was) accompanying or following to join his wife under § 1153(d), Landin cannot be a derivative spouse. [3] As Landin conceded, he cannot satisfy the “accompanying or following to join” rule, because his marriage occurred after his wife adjusted to lawful permanent resident status. See Matter of Naulu, 19 I&N Dec. 351, 352 n.1 (BIA 1986) (“The relationship between the principal alien and the derivative beneficiary must exist before the principal alien gains permanent resident status as well as at the time the derivative beneficiary seeks entry as an immigrant or adjustment of status.” (emphasis added)). The plain language of § 1153(d) requires that the derivative “spouse” accompany or follow to join the principal “spouse.” Implicitly there is a temporal element of already being a “spouse.” Thus, § 1153(d) clearly contemplates that the marital relationship exists before the principal receives immigrant status. Such a construction is consistent with our observation in Santiago that Congress intended to “preserve” — i.e., maintain — the unity of existing families by permitting qualifying aliens to bring their families with them or to send for them later. 526 F.2d at 490. If the marital relationship transpires after the principal receives immigrant status, the putative derivative spouse cannot have accompanied or followed to join a “spouse” because there was simply no spouse to accompany or follow at the time the principal adjusted status, and the language of § 1153(d) 12190 LANDIN-MOLINA v. HOLDER implicitly requires that the derivative spouse be a “spouse” before the principal adjusts status. Such is Landin’s situation: being not married to Ojeda at the time she adjusted status, he did not accompany or follow to join a principal spouse. Cf. Matter of G, 7 I&N Dec. 731, 733-34 (BIA 1958) (“Both the statutory language and the legislative history support the conclusion that the class or category granted the same preference as the skilled immigrant by section 203(a)(1) was the existing family, that is, the wife and children, of the principal applicant.” (emphasis added)). [4] Given this background, it is equally clear that for a grandfathered alien to impart grandfathered status to a spouse, the marriage must occur before the grandfathered alien adjusts status. Our conclusion is reinforced by an interim rule implementing and interpreting § 1255(i) and 8 C.F.R. § 1245.10(a), which states that in order for an alien-spouse who is accompanying or following to join a grandfathered alien to be considered grandfathered, the marital relationship between the two aliens must “exist[ ] before the principal alien adjusts his or her status.” 66 Fed. Reg. 16383, 16384 (March 26, 2001). In a 1999 policy memorandum discussing grandfathering under § 1255(i), the INS explained that [m]any aliens with pending, grandfathered petitions or labor certification applications will marry or have children after the qualifying petition or application was filed but before adjustment of status. These “after-acquired” children and spouses are allowed to adjust under [§ 1255(i)] as long as they acquire the status of a spouse or child before the principal alien ultimately adjusts status. An alien who becomes the child or spouse of a grandfathered alien after the alien adjusts status or immigrates cannot adjust status under [§ 1255(i)] unless he or she has an inde- pendent basis for grandfathering. Office of the Executive Association Commissioner, INS, U.S. Dep’t of Justice, Accepting Applications for Adjustment of LANDIN-MOLINA v. HOLDER 12191 Status Under Section 245(i), HQ 70/23.1-P, HQ 70/8-P at 5 (Jun. 10, 1990) (emphasis added), reproduced and interpreted at 76 Interpreter Releases 1017, 1020 (July 2, 1999); see also 78 Interpreter Releases 553 (March 26, 2001). This interim rule and guidance memorandum are entitled to respect to the extent that they are persuasive. See Christensen v. Harris County, 529 U.S. 576, 587 (2000) (“Interpretations such as those in opinion letters — like interpretations contained in policy statements, agency manuals, and enforcement guidelines, all of which lack the force of law — do not warrant Chevron-style deference. Instead, interpretations contained in formats such as opinion letters are “entitled to respect” under our decision in Skidmore v. Swift & Co., 323 U.S. 134, 140 (1944), but only to the extent that those interpretations have the ‘power to persuade.’ ” (internal citations omitted)); see also Karouni v. Gonzales, 399 F.3d 1163, 1171 n.11 (9th Cir. 2005) (stating that if the INS departed from a guidance memorandum or rule without reason, such action could be viewed as arbitrary, capricious, or an abuse of discretion). [5] It is undisputed that Landin married his wife after she adjusted to lawful permanent resident status; therefore, Landin does not qualify as a grandfathered alien under established INS rules and policies, which we view as persuasive. Indeed, if grandfathered aliens who adjusted to lawful permanent resident status could impart grandfathered status to relatives acquired after the adjustment occurred, then § 1255(i)’s filing cut-off date would be nullified with respect to those individuals. Cf. Balam-Chuc v. Mukasey, 547 F.3d 1044, 1049-1050 (9th Cir. 2008) (holding § 1255(i)’s April 30, 2001 sunset provision was a fixed deadline, and that § 1255(i) is a statute of repose not subject to equitable tolling). If we were to accept Landin’s interpretation of the statute, lawful permanent residents who adjusted to such status under § 1255(i) via the grandfathering regulations would be able to perpetually impart grandfathered status to others. 12192 LANDIN-MOLINA v. HOLDER