First of all, I am from California, and I'm trying to help a few of my relatives whom I beleive are caught in some kind of SCAM. A little bit of background on them: They applied for legal residency about 8 years ago (sponsered by their brother). They were just recently told by a relative in Houston, Texas that a "RETIRING JUDGE" was giving out green cards (approving Legal Residency) as a kind jesture, if and when each individual brought with himself at leats 15 letters of recommendation written by Citizens of the US. So now, a few days after they took off to Houston, other familiy members, some of whom have only been in the US for 2 or so years, are also jumping on the bandwagon and being told they too! may have a chance at bein a legal resident. So now I have all of these relatives driving from Northern California to Houston, leaving behind their jobs, children, etc. Can somebody please help me help them before it's too late. Any information would greatly be appreciated. Most of them are leaving tomorrow afternoon, I need to "prove" to them this is a scam. Or does anybody know if this is true?
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Retiring judge SCAM!
- Thread starter bigpako
- Start date
What kind of judge ?
There are immigration judges, they decide issues like deportations and the like. They do have some discretion to grant permanent residency to an individual who has fulfilled certain criteria. But this mechanism only applies in a very defined set of circumstances and is not used very often. Immigration is governed by laws, and none of the laws I know of allows IJs to give away green-cards without the entire process by USCIS to be followed through.
add. This discretion is limited to the 'cancellation of removal' process which comes AFTER all other avenues to obtain permanent residency have been exhausted and the person is facing deportation. This is by no means a mechanism by which an IJ can dole out GCs to anyone who comes with 15 reference letters.
This smells like a big scam (once your relatives show up in Houston, there will be a 'consultant' who will ask for a small processing fee, maybe $800. Your relatives will dutifully hand over the cash and their letters of recommendation. And that is the last time they see the consultant or the money.)
There are immigration judges, they decide issues like deportations and the like. They do have some discretion to grant permanent residency to an individual who has fulfilled certain criteria. But this mechanism only applies in a very defined set of circumstances and is not used very often. Immigration is governed by laws, and none of the laws I know of allows IJs to give away green-cards without the entire process by USCIS to be followed through.
add. This discretion is limited to the 'cancellation of removal' process which comes AFTER all other avenues to obtain permanent residency have been exhausted and the person is facing deportation. This is by no means a mechanism by which an IJ can dole out GCs to anyone who comes with 15 reference letters.
This smells like a big scam (once your relatives show up in Houston, there will be a 'consultant' who will ask for a small processing fee, maybe $800. Your relatives will dutifully hand over the cash and their letters of recommendation. And that is the last time they see the consultant or the money.)
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Nobody can give out a green card to you. The USCIS can issue a green card, but it has to follow a detailed set of laws and regulations to determine if you are eligible. You can get one only if you meet the requirements set out in the law.
I guess Congress could pass a private bill and "give" someone a green card that way.
Remember this is the United States and we operate under the rule of law.
I guess Congress could pass a private bill and "give" someone a green card that way.
Remember this is the United States and we operate under the rule of law.
thankful said:Nobody can give out a green card to you. The USCIS can issue a green card, but it has to follow a detailed set of laws and regulations to determine if you are eligible. You can get one only if you meet the requirements set out in the law.
I guess Congress could pass a private bill and "give" someone a green card that way.
Remember this is the United States and we operate under the rule of law.
I absolutely promise you that this is entirely incorrect! There is no way this is happening. If an Immigration Judge (or any other judge for that matter) was deciding cases this way, USCIS would be appealing every one of them and refusing to issue the green cards. If any green cards were somehow actually issued, they would later be revoked.
There are ways that judges can grant green cards (USCIS still needs to issue them) but judges cannot just do whatever they like. An immigration judge would probably be fired (they do not sit for life) and even a federal judge who operated this far outside the law would probably be impeached and removed from the bench.
I'm sure there is money changing hands somewhere here. Follow the money and you will find the culprit.