Happy May!

Immigration Updates from BOILA

For further information, please visit our website

or give us a call in the office at 202-331-3074.

Beach-Oswald Immigration Law Associates, PC is a Washington, D.C. boutique firm devoted to immigration law. Practicing law since 1981, we have earned the highest possible rating for legal acumen and ethical standards. We represent all types of immigration cases: employment-based, VAWA and U-visas, citizenship, asylum, deportation and removal proceedings, and appellate work. 

We work with clients nationwide. Referrals are welcome from clients, friends and colleagues. Our top-notch lawyers represent professionals, business owners, families, and asylum-seekers from all over the world. We provide the absolute best legal service possible to our clients and aid them in every step of their immigration journey. We prioritize not only assisting clients with their immigration cases educating them about the processes, laws, and requirements their case entails. All of our legal staff at Beach-Oswald have a genuine desire to help those in need. We ensure the highest quality of professionalism and legal expertise.

Ms. O.N. is a Cameroonian citizen, a mother of 8 children, and a widow. She successfully completed her naturalization interview in early April 2023. BOILA staff prepared the file and Attorney Carolyn Killea represented her in-person at the USCIS office in Baltimore. 

Ms. O.N. received an incompetency waiver that was approved by USCIS. That meant her case was able to be approved without with English Civics Test. Her son was there at her side for her naturalization hearing! Congratulations, Ms. O.N.

Mr. N.F. is a citizen of Cameroon. After he finished high school, he worked as a mechanic. When his Dad died, he returned to his home village to take over his family’s farm. He quickly expanded the agricultural operation which included working with the local youth to provide them with employment. The MRC (Cameroonian Resistance Movement) political party approached him because of shared values relating to youth employment.

In 2018, he joined the party and became an activist promoting his political beliefs. Due to his activism with MRC, he was arrested multiple times by the Cameroonian government. In detention, he was severely beaten by Cameroonian security forces. Finally, after escaping, he traveled to the USA and requested asylum at the U.S. border in January 2020.

In 2022, Attorney Abbott at BOILA met with him and agreed to file a motion to recalendar his hearing on the Immigration Court docket. In April, Attorney Abbot presented the asylum case at the Hyattsville, MD Immigration Court. Within one hour, Immigration Judge Kanellakos granted asylum and waived government appeal, making his asylum grant final. Mr. N.F. is looking forward to living in Maryland with his sister, who is also seeking asylum from Cameroon. Congratulations to Mr. N.F. and his family!

Mr. L.L., hailing from Cameroon, had a successful permanent residency hearing on April 26, represented by BOILA Attorney Ananya Mallavarapu. 

Mr. L.L. arrived on a student visa in 2000. He has two daughters, both U.S. citizens, who are superb tennis players. Due to his good moral character, one of his daughters was able to petition for him to become a permanent resident. He had a very quick Individual Hearing with Immigration Judge Rubenstein in Hyattsville, MD. During the thirty-minute hearing, Mr. L.L.’s case was deemed to be “prima facie eligible,” which means all of the documentation submitted on his behalf by BOILA presented a very strong case for his grant of citizenship.

As a U.S. permanent resident, Mr. L.L. will continue teaching as a public high school teacher in Maryland. He is an asset to his community as he teaches high school students Computer Science, Business Administration, and French. Congratulations, Mr. L.L.!

Green Cards Granted

• Mr. G.U. received her permanent resident card this month. He sent the BOILA team this kind message for the work done on his behalf:

“I sincerely wanted to say thank you for doing all this hard work through the longest years with me. I appreciated so much that you did everything for me that I trust you with my life. Thank God for sending me the picture that I got approved to be a permanent resident of the USA. It brings me so much joy for all the blessings, hard work, stress, so many things that we had been through. I thank you for saving my life. Also that I’m so blessed by you, I pray that God bless you so much to come.”

• Ms. V.D., a citizen of Cameroon, first retained BOILA in 2015 after arriving on a student visa in Kansas City. On April 10, 2023, Attorney Abbott represented her at her interview at the Baltimore Immigration Court. Ms. V.D. received an approval and will now be a legal permanent resident of the USA. Congratulations, Ms. V.D.!
• Ms. E.T., also hailing from Cameroon, retained BOILA in 2021. She received her green card this month. Congratulations, Ms. E.T.!
• Ms. D.O., citizen of Brazil, received legal permanent status after her U.S. Citizen daughter petitioned for her. Congratulations, Ms. D.O.!

On April 19, Mr. Y.S.A., originally from Cameroon, received an approval of his I-601 waiver of inadmissibility for his permanent residence case. BOILA Attorneys prepared a detailed package of documents to persuade USCIS to allow Mr. Y.S.A. to remain in the United States with his family. 

USCIS Policy Update: “60-day rule” abolished on Form I-693

A requirement has changed for the USCIS form known as the Report of Immigration Medical Examination and Vaccination Record (Form I-693). This form is commonly required for noncitizens to prove they have no health-related issues before accessing certain benefits.

Previously, the I-693 required applicants to secure the signature of a civil surgeon no more than 60 days before they filed the application for their desired immigration benefit. This was known as the “60-day rule.”

USCIS has officially removed this rule in an attempt to streamline processing. The “60-day rule” has been deemed inefficient, as it created too many Requests for Evidence (RFEs) that did not enhance the discretion of USCIS officers.

Now, instead of the “60-day rule,” USCIS officers will review any given I-693 by looking at the date of the civil surgeon’s signature on the form, and then verifying that the applicant in question met the requirements that were in effect on that given date.

According to USCIS, “This policy update will allow USCIS to adjudicate cases with immigration medical examinations that would previously have been considered invalid.”

Written by Sarah Metzel, published on BOILA website

Staff Review of “The Jungle” Bringing Europe’s immigration crisis to the capital of the United States

__________________________

On April 6, BOILA staff member Sarah Metzel attended a performance of “The Jungle” at The Shakespeare Theater Company’s Harman Hall in downtown Washington, DC. Managing Partner Beach-Oswald generously offered the performance tickets as a birthday gift to Metzel.

The show told the story of a migrant camp that became known as “The Jungle” near the town of Calais in the northwest of France. It existed from almost two years from January 2015 to October 2016, and became a temporary home for immigrants from all parts of the world attempting to pass safely into the U.K. The shanty town grew to include restaurants, religious centers, and small businesses.

The show, based on the stories of real immigrants and residents of The Jungle, tells the moving tale of a grit and determination of people to survive in the worst conditions. The joy of finding community through hardship and the shanty town’s self-governance that sprang up in the absence of a clear authority were inspiring aspects of the performance.

The show opened on a scene of fear and mass confusion that would be revisited at the end of the performance: In October 2016, residents of The Jungle were evicted and the shanty town was bulldozed by the French government. Many people relocated to other refugee camps across the north of France or traveled elsewhere to live with family members.

Staff member Metzel is glad that many former residents of the Jungle survived to tell the tale and bring the stories of survival to the residing place of many other immigrants in the Washington D.C. area. 



Written by Sarah Metzel for BOILA website