For  the substantive aspect, please respond to the client's questions using the IRAC format. Here is an example:

In your email you ask whether a Legal Permanent Resident (LPR) who has been residing in the United States for four years is eligible for naturalization (note by professor: This is Issue). In general, unless an LPR is married to a U.S. citizen, she or he should have been an LPR for five years to be eligible for naturalization (note by professor: This is RULE). In your email , you indicate that you became an LPR four years ago; obviously, four years is less than the required five years (note by professor: This is Analysis). Because you have been an LPR for less than  five years, you are not yet eligible to apply for naturalization and should wait another year to apply (note by professor: This is Conclusion)   

For professionalism, Write an email response that is completely free from spelling errors, is easy to understand, and professional looking. This means that the email should address the  client by his/her correct name, does not have abbreviations without first providing a definition of the abbreviation, and has correct terminology. Good luck!

Project

You are a paralegal working for a small law firm in downtown Bellevue. Today, your supervising attorney forwards you an email from the firm's client asking to draft a response. Please draft the response to the best of your ability. Here is the email that got forwarded to you: 

 

Dear Attorney Zakharova,

Thank you for working with my employer, VeriSoft, and me as we are preparing to initiate processes leading to my employment-based green card application. While I am excited to proceed with this last step of the green card process, there are a couple of things I would like to bring up, which, I hope, you will keep confidential and will not discuss with my employer. Please confirm if this is something you can do? Even if you cannot keep my issues secret from my employer, I would appreciate you responding to my questions below:

• My mother is a resident of India, and she applied for a tourist visa at a U.S. consulate in Mumbai. However, after a brief interview, her visa application was denied. I would like to appeal the consular officer's decision. Is this something you can assist me with?
• My cousin is a citizen of Sweden and after hearing about my mother's denial in Mumbai, he would like to utilize ESTA and visit me for four months. Is ESTA a good option for him?
• As you  know, I am currently on L-1B nonimmigrant visa for Specialized Knowledge Professionals. Next year, it will be 5 years since I am on this visa. I would like to extend my visa for two more years. Is this something you can assist with?
• My wife is an L-2 visa holder, and was just offered a position at a floral department of the QFC. Is she eligible to work?
• My son is a Canadian citizen. I have heard that if he has a job offer for any position or occupation, he can be admitted in TN classification. Is this true?
• My brother is a national of Iran and is in the United States on a student visa. He is afraid to return to Iran because, while in Seattle, he joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and converted to Christianity. However, I have heard that one cannot apply for asylum if they have not been harmed in the country they are claiming asylum from. Would this fact prevent him from applying for asylum?
• I am interested in getting naturalized as soon as possible after I receive my green card. When is the earliest I can apply for naturalization?
• I have heard that in order to engage in the Labor Market Test for PERM Labor Certification, it is enough to put an ad on the VeriSoft's Linkedin page advertising the position to satisfy the recruitment requirements. Please confirm if this is correct.
• I suffer from a bi-polar disorder, and have had episodes of self-cutting in the past when I would attempt to injury myself with a sharp object. I have never attacked other people, but I do have a tendency to harm myself. Is this something that may present issues at the Adjustment of Status stage?
• Two years ago, my wife put some cocaine in her carry-on luggage when she flew from Montreal to Seattle. She was never caught by customs or law enforcement. Since there was never an arrest, is this something that she will have to disclose during our application, and if so, on which form?
• I also have to tell you that my plan is to leave VeriSoft for another employer as soon as I get my green card. I never wanted to work for this company and will quit as soon as the green car in in my hands.

Thank you for looking into this for me, counselor. Please do not forget to let me know if we can keep this discussion between us without involving VeriSoft. I look forward to your response.

Surinder Jayagopal