Opinion ID: 180327
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Dinanto’s Motion to Reconsider

Text: On August 20, 2009, Dinanto filed a “Motion to Reconsider and Remand to the Immigration Judge,” asking the BIA to reconsider its July 21 denial of his motion to reopen. The motion stated that: (1) Santosos’s I-130 petition for Dinanto’s visa remained pending; (2) Santoso, “became eligible to apply for naturalization,” on July 21, 2009 when she completed the five-year period of lawful permanent residence; (3) Santoso had applied for naturalization on July 27, 2009. Dinanto argued that he did not need to have an immigrant visa number available to him until he filed an I-485A application for adjustment of status. 1 The distinction continues to matter as the alien spouse’s I-485A application for adjustment of status is processed. An alien spouse’s I-485A application is not “properly file[d]” unless, at the time of filing,“approval of a visa petition, filed for classification” as either an immediate relative or a preference immigrant “would make a visa immediately available to” the alien spouse. Id. § 245.2(a)(2)(i)(B). For a preference immigrant spouse (i.e., the spouse of a lawful permanent resident like Dinanto), whether an immigrant visa is immediately available depends upon his priority date and can only be determined by consulting the Department of State Bureau of Consular Affairs Visa Bulletin. 8 C.F.R. § 245.1(g)(1). An immigrant visa is immediately available to the preference immigrant spouse if he “has a priority date on the waiting list which is earlier than the date shown on the Bulletin.” 8 C.F.R. § 245.1(g)(1). In denying Dinanto’s motion to reopen, the BIA also pointed out that Dinanto “ha[d] no current available priority date.” 5 Dinanto contended that Santoso would “almost certainly be a U.S. citizen” in the next few months, which would then give Dinanto an immediately available visa number. Dinanto argued that, by the time of any hearing before an IJ on his reopened removal proceedings, Dinanto would have an immigrant visa number and have filed his I-485A application for adjustment of status. Dinanto also argued that his wife would suffer extreme hardship if he was removed from the United States because she had obtained residency based on her status as a derivative beneficiary of her father’s asylum claim and could not return to Indonesia without fear of danger. On March 1, 2010, the BIA denied Dinanto’s motion, treating it as both a motion to reconsider and as a second motion to reopen removal proceedings. Insofar as Dinanto’s motion sought reconsideration, the BIA found “no legal or factual defect” in its July 21 decision. The BIA noted that Dinanto had “essentially reiterate[d] contentions set forth” in his motion to reopen and that the evidence submitted in support of Dinanto’s motion to reopen had shown that Dinanto’s wife “was then a lawful permanent resident.” To the extent Dinanto’s motion requested reopening of his removal proceedings, the BIA denied the motion as untimely and number-barred. The BIA also found that Dinanto had not shown he was subject to an exception to the time 6 and number limitations on motions to reopen or “demonstrated an exceptional situation that would warrant the exercise of [the BIA’s] discretion to reopen [Dinanto’s] proceedings under [its] sua sponte authority.” The BIA explained that, while Dinanto’s wife had recently become a U.S. citizen, Dinanto had not become “potentially eligible for relief from removal” until after the time for filing a motion to reopen had expired. Dinanto filed this petition for review.