We have all heard about boy George Washington’s axe and cherry tree story. We have been raised to be honest. It is not only right, moral, and ethical to be honest, but we were told that lies bring bad consequences.

In real life, we might get chastised, lose friends, and indeed get punished for a temporary time, but we are normally given a second chance or an opportunity to rehabilitate and make up for it. The consequences are even more serious and less recoverable in the context of the immigration law precisely because some lies will not be given another chance.

The Law:

Under the U.S. immigration law, material misrepresentation is a ground of inadmissibility whether stated only on a visa application, upon entry, or on an immigration petition or application. It can create a permanent bar from getting a visa issued, changing status or adjusting status to permanent resident, and immigrating. Some statements are considered material misrepresentation if the speaker sought a benefit and that the benefit would not have been granted absent the misrepresentation, and the speaker believed and understood that what he or she had said was false.

Let’s look at the real life examples of ‘material misrepresentation’ and their immigration consequences.

Examples:

Angela applies for a visitor’s visa at the U.S. consulate in her home country. The Consul denies and grimly tells her not to bother to reapply again. What was the reason? She thought because she didn’t have a full-time regular job she would not be issued a visa and used the service of a broker who is known to create false employment and bank account records among other tricks. The broker submitted false information with her visa application. This time, it was caught.

Sophie wants to come to the United States to visit. Thinking the visa processing is too cumbersome, she borrows a friend’s passport with her visa in it and comes to the U.S. While visiting, she meets the man of her dream and gets married. At the marriage interview, the officer finds out that she came in using false document and declares her inadmissible.

Charles and his U.S. Citizen wife got married in Charles’s home country. Their friends tell them it is faster and easier to apply for green card in the U.S. Charles arrives in the U.S. and answers the border inspector that he’s on a vacation and will return home in a few months. Charles and his spouse then file a green card case based on marriage. At the interview, the officer believes that Mr. C misrepresented himself to an immigration officer and declares him inadmissible.

In all the above incidents, the aliens were determined to have materially misrepresented themselves because they knowingly lied in order to seek a benefit – i.e., entering the United States.

Waivers:

Do these people have any remedies? Are they all permanently barred from entering the U.S. again? What about the U.S. citizen spouse?

A waiver may be sought if the green card applicant has a citizen or lawfully resident spouse or parent and can show that extreme hardship will occur to them. It is notable that children have been eliminated from the list of qualifying relatives.

“Extreme hardship” is determined by the following factors: the qualifying family member’s ties to the U.S.; their ties outside the U.S.; the conditions in the country to which the qualifying relative would relocate and the extent of the qualifying relative ties to such country; the financial impact; and health.

In essence, the examiner will weigh extreme hardship and evidence of rehabilitation against the severity of the crime committed or lack of remorse in reaching a favorable decision.

There is also a general waiver for nonimmigrant visa applicants. In this situation, their case does not depend on a familial relationship. Rather, it depends on the following three criteria: the risk of harm to society if the applicant is admitted; the seriousness of the applicant's prior violation(s) of immigration or criminal law, if any; and the nature of the applicant's reasons for seeking entry.

The trend is waivers are becoming more difficult to obtain. Some USCIS service centers have decided that it is not extreme hardship that the U.S. spouse does not have economic or family ties to the other spouse’s foreign country and can certainly relocate.

In Conclusion:

Be extremely careful when signing off on a document that states: “I certify, under penalty of perjury under the laws of the United States of America, that this petition, and the evidence submitted with it, is all true and correct.” It is one’s responsibility to make sure all information is true and correct. As well, do not engage in escapism and deal with reality. Better to get rejected on a truthful application and reapply with augmented documentation than be labeled as a liar and permanently barred. It’s not worth it.

The information contained in article is provided for general information only and should not serve as a substitute for legal advice.