Bureaucracy can mean two things. One meaning is neutral as in, “It requires a large bureaucracy to run something as complex as U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).” The other meaning is pejorative, “If it were not for all the bureaucracy, things could get done much cheaper and faster at USCIS.” When bureaucracy is used pejoratively, the usual gripe is that the bureaucratic rules and procedures are not there to streamline functions to make things more efficient, but rather as…

I remember a long time before I ever got involved in law, never mind immigration law, I heard a critique of the field – all immigration lawyers do is fill out forms and send them in for you. I remember, too, the words of a relative who “kindly” explained to my child that lawyers charge people lots of money to do simple things. Like almost anything that is said, it is sometimes true. In the case of immigration law it…

It may seem like I have been concentrating a lot on USCIS (U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services) these days. With all the bad things that happen to people – like prolonged detentions, abuse at the border, laws that separate families forever – the problems with USCIS may pale in comparison. However, immigration customers most often deal with USCIS which is probably the largest component of the DHS (Department of Homeland Security) immigration triumvirate (C.P., ICE, USCIS) which grants all immigration…

Last week I got more of that crazy mail I have described earlier. I am sitting in my office, minding my own [actually, my clients’] business, and then open the mail. I have a package. The government [USCIS San Diego office, this time] does something so kooky that the next two hours have to go to correcting their error. A client was granted a permanent residence visa. The visa was issued. Then the government issues a document threatening to revoke…