Lopez has been in the United States for over 20 years. Lopez is 70 years old. Lopez wanted to become a United States Citizen. Lopez went to an unlicensed individual who completed his naturalization application. Because Lopez had a medical condition, he applied for a disability exemption, which was granted. On the day of the immigration interview, Lopez went by himself with no legal representation. The interview went wrong. The officer was very abusive and proceeded to interrogate Lopez about his prior marriage from 30 years ago. Lopez has a cognitive memory problem that prevented him from remembering events and details about his life. Several weeks later, Lopez received a letter from USCIS advising him of their intention to deny the application based on the fact that they believe that his prior marriage from 30 years ago was a sham. The officer based this decision information response that on that Lopez answered at the interview. Lopez came to our office and we assisted him with responding to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service.
The problem with this case is that that Lopez went to an unlicensed individual that did not take the time to learn about his past prior history. Because this unlicensed person was not an attorney, they could not represent them in the immigration interview. What this officer did was wrong. The officer abused his discretion and power. Although it is not required to attend the interview with an attorney, it is recommended. An attorney can oversee the interview process and make sure that your constitutional rights are not violated. Call us, we can help.
DISCLAIMER: The names, locations, and some of the facts were changed to protect the privacy of individuals. Past approval or successful negotiations of a case is not a guarantee or prediction regarding the outcome of future cases. Case results depend upon a variety of factors unique to each case. The above case studies are based on real clients. The names and locations were changed to protect their identities.