Asylee Family Reunification (I-730)

Description

The client was approved for asylum and now needed to bring their 3 kids over from Nigeria to the U.S.

Strategy

File a follow-up to join (I-730) application for each child before they turn 21 and within 2 years of their parents’ asylum being approved. 

Challenges

Multiple challenges arose during this case. The first challenge was that USCIS was taking longer than normal processing times. After multiple unsuccessful service requests placed with USCIS, we enlisted the assistance of the ombudsman and our client’s congressman’s office. After a year's delay from USCIS, the I-730s were finally approved. Then came the second challenge, the U.S. Embassy in Lagos. We timely filed everything with the Embassy, and the children all went to an interview there. Due to interview backlogs, the interview scheduling system wasn’t showing any available appointments. Our office, in addition to the client, had to check the system multiple times a day to finally secure an appointment for the children. In the interview, the children were verbally told they were approved, but later, when we checked on the status, it stated they were placed into administrative processing. We then involved the congressman’s office again. The client enlisted help to file a mandamus lawsuit against the Embassy.

Outcome

The children’s visas were finally approved, and they have been reunited with their parent in the U.S.