If your immigration application has been delayed, you may be asking yourself whether you will ever get to become a U.S. citizen. We see a different future for you. A future where, three or four months from now, USCIS has decided your case and (hopefully) approved you for citizenship. Often, these delays are the result of a program called the Controlled Application Review and Resolution Program or CARRP.
When your application is delayed by CARRP, you may feel stuck but it is important to realize that you have options. A skilled St. Louis, MO immigration delay attorney at Hacking Immigration Law, LLC can help you get the answer you have been waiting for. However, before you take the necessary steps to resolve your case, it is important to know what CARRP is and how it can affect your case.
The purpose of the CARRP is to slow down immigration to the U.S. for people from certain countries. While CARRP deals primarily with Muslim immigrants, the program does result in slowdowns for people from non-Muslim countries as well, typically, those who work in high tech or defense-type industries.
It is unclear what can cause someone to be placed on the CARRP list. Generally, prior interaction with the FBI or ATF, numerous overseas visits, or sending money abroad can land you on the list. Anonymous tips have also caused people to end up subject to CARRP. The fact is that, because much of the program remains secret, it is hard to say exactly why your case may be a CARRP case.
However, when an individual is placed on the CARRP list, they are presumed to be a terrorist. The government agencies then work to see if the person is, in fact, a terrorist or security threat. The individual is never notified they were placed on the list, nor are they provided the opportunity to challenge their placement. Once on the list, it is very difficult to get removed from it.
Based on our experience fighting with USCIS over CARRP delay cases, if you have a CARRP case, no number of InfoPass appointments, calls to the 1-800 number or inquiries to a member of Congress are going to move your case along.
After someone has been a lawful permanent resident (LPR) in the U.S. for five years (or three years if married to a U.S. citizen), they can file for the next step in the immigration process which is an application called an N-400 Application for Naturalization. Typically, USCIS takes about seven to eight months to process the paperwork and schedule the applicant for the citizenship test and an interview to go over the application.
However, many cases take significantly longer than seven to eight months. People sometimes wait years for their citizenship. We have developed a system to help force USCIS to issue a decision for these cases. The law says that any agency, including USCIS, has to decide a case in a reasonable amount of time. If not, LPRs can file a lawsuit in federal court to ask a judge to compel USCIS to act. The process usually takes 90 to 120 days and currently costs around $3,500. If they fail to decide within this time you may be able to take further action with the help of a dedicated St. Louis, MO immigration attorney who understands CARRP. Our office has sued USCIS nearly 200 times over immigration delays.
If your immigration application was delayed you probably want answers. It is not fair that you should be forced to wait years on a resolution without knowing why. That is why the attorneys at Hacking Immigration Law, LLC in St. Louis, MO are dedicated to fighting these allegations. We can work to force the government to give you the decision you deserve. To learn more about the Controlled Application Review and Resolution Program (CARRP) and how we can help, call today.
