Mehta v. United States Department of State

186 F. Supp. 3d 1146, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 64385, 2016 WL 2855353
CourtDistrict Court, W.D. Washington
DecidedMay 16, 2016
DocketCase No. 15-1543RSM
StatusPublished

This text of 186 F. Supp. 3d 1146 (Mehta v. United States Department of State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, W.D. Washington primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Mehta v. United States Department of State, 186 F. Supp. 3d 1146, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 64385, 2016 WL 2855353 (W.D. Wash. 2016).

Opinion

ORDER GRANTING DEFENDANTS’ MOTION TO DISMISS

RICARDO S. MARTINEZ, CHIEF UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE

I. INTRODUCTION

This matter comes before the Court on Defendants United States Department of State, et al. (collectively, “State Depart[1148]*1148ment”)’s Motion to Dismiss pursuant to FRCP 12(b)(1) and 12(b)(6), Dkt. #27. The State Department argues inter alia, that the Court lacks jurisdiction under the Administrative Procedure Act (“APA”) to review Defendants’ revision to a visa bulletin as this revision does not constitute “final agency action.” Id. at 2. Plaintiffs oppose this Motion and argue that the bulletin revision does constitute final agency action. See Dkt. # 30. For the reasons set forth below, the Court agrees with Defendants and GRANTS their Motion.

II. BACKGROUND1

Plaintiffs and potential class members are “the beneficiaries of approved employment-based visa petitions for highly skilled workers.” Dkt. # 22-1 at 2. On September 9, 2015, the State Department published a monthly “Visa Bulletin” with “a date on which applicants may submit adjustment of status applications... that comes before the projected date on which final adjudicative action will occur.” Id. at 3. Plaintiffs allege that they then spent significant time and money assembling adjustment applications “based on their reasonable expectation—created by over five decades of uniform practice—that the government would abide by the Visa Bulletin it published on September 9, 2015.” Id. On September 25, 2015, the State Department published another, revised Visa Bulletin withdrawing and changing the date on which applicants may submit adjustment of status applications. Id. Plaintiffs brought this lawsuit on September 28, 2015, and amended their Complaint on September 30, 2015, and January 15, 2016. Dkt. ## 1; 6; 22-1.

III. DISCUSSION

A. Legal Standard

Under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(1), a defendant may challenge the

plaintiffs jurisdictional allegations in one of two ways: (1) a “facial” attack that accepts the truth of the plaintiffs allegations but asserts that they are insufficient on their face to invoke federal jurisdiction, or (2) a “factual” attack that contests the truth of the plaintiffs factual allegations, usually by introducing evidence outside the pleadings. Leite v. Crane Co., 749 F.3d 1117, 1121-22 (9th Cir.2014). When a party raises a facial attack, the court resolves the motion as it would under Rule 12(b)(6), accepting all reasonable inferences in the plaintiffs favor and determining whether the allegations are sufficient as a legal matter to invoke the court’s jurisdiction. Id. at 1122. In making a Rule 12(b)(6) assessment, the court accepts all facts alleged in the complaint as true, and makes all inferences in the light most favorable to the non-moving party. Baker v. Riverside County Office of Educ., 584 F.3d 821, 824 (9th Cir.2009) (internal citations omitted). However, the court is not required to accept as true a “legal conclusion couched as a factual allegation.” Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 678, 129 S.Ct. 1937, 173 L.Ed.2d 868 (2009) (quoting Bell Atl. Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 555, 127 S.Ct. 1955, 167 L.Ed.2d 929 (2007)). The complaint “must contain sufficient factual matter, accepted as true, to state a claim to relief that is plausible on its face.” Id. at 678, 129 S.Ct. 1937. This requirement is met when the plaintiff “pleads factual content that allows the court to draw the reasonable inference that the defendant is liable for the misconduct alleged.” Id. The complaint need not include detailed allegations, but it must have “more than labels and conclusions, and a formulaic recitation of the elements of a cause of action will not do.” Twombly, 550 U.S. at 555, 127 S.Ct. 1955. Absent facial plausibility, a plaintiffs [1149]*1149claims must be dismissed. Id. at 570, 127 S.Ct. 1955.

B. Immigration System at Issue2

Basic Framework

Plaintiffs contend they were denied access to immigrant visas that allow nonciti-zens to be admitted as Lawful Permanent Residents (“LPRs”) through an adjustment of immigration status. These immigrant visas have several advantages over non-immigrant visas, e.g. allowing LPRs to live in the U.S. longer, work, and travel internationally with fewer restrictions. See generally 8 U.S.C. §§ 1101(a)(16), 1101(a)(20), 1255. • Obtaining LPR status may be a significant step toward U.S. citizenship. See 8 U.S.C. § 1427(a).

This case specifically concerns employment-based immigrant visas. A noncitizen who wants to obtain such a visa must normally go through an employer, who submits various forms to different branches of the U.S. Government. First, the employer generally must file an application for a labor certification with the Department of Labor (“DOL”). See 8 U.S.C. § 1182(a)(5)(A). The DOL is asked to certify that: (1) there are insufficient U.S. workers able, willing, qualified, and available for the particular job; and (2) employment of the individual will not adversely affect the wages and working conditions of similarly employed U.S. workers. 8 U.S.C. § 1182(a)(5)(A)(i). The approved labor certification establishes, among other things, the wage that the employer must pay the worker. See 8 U.S.C. § 1182(p); 20 C.F.R. § 656.40. The date DOL accepts the application serves as the employee’s “priority date,” which functions as the employee’s place in line for an immigrant visa number. 8 C.F.R. § 204.5(d).

The employer then files an 1-140 visa petition with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (“USCIS”). 8 U.S.C. § 1154(a)(1)(F). In the Form 1-140 petition, the employer requests that the employee be classified under one of the employment-based immigrant visa preference categories based on the employee’s skills, experience, and/or education. 8 U.S.C. § 1153(b).

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186 F. Supp. 3d 1146, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 64385, 2016 WL 2855353, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mehta-v-united-states-department-of-state-wawd-2016.