dismissed L-1A Case: Restaurant
Decision Summary
The decision denies the petitioner's fifth motion to reopen and reconsider. The underlying appeal was originally rejected as untimely filed. The AAO concluded that the petitioner's arguments, including invoking the 'Doctrine of Excusable Neglect' from the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, were invalid as those rules do not apply to AAO proceedings, and immigration regulations do not grant discretionary authority to excuse an untimely appeal.
Criteria Discussed
Sign up free to download the original PDF
Downloaded the case? Use it in your next draft →View Full Decision Text
U.S. Citizenship
and Immigration
Services
MATTER OF D', LLC
Non-Precedent Decision of the
Administrative Appeals Office
DATE: JUNE 25, 2018
MOTION ON ADMINISTRATIVE APPEALS OFFICE DECISION
PETITION: FORM 1-129, PETITION FOR A NONIMMIGRANT WORKER
The Petitioner, a restaurant specializing in Italian foods and pastries, seeks to temporarily employ the
Beneficiary as the chief executive officer of its new office' under the L-IA nonimmigrant
classification for intracompany transferees. See Immigration and Nationality Act (the Act) section
101(a)(15)(L), 8 U.S.C. § 1101(a)(15)(L). The L-lA classification allows a corporation or other
legal entity (including its affiliate or subsidiary) to transfer a qualifying foreign employee to the
United States to work temporarily in an executive or managerial capacity.
The Director of the Vermont Service Center denied the petition, concluding that the Petitioner did
not establish that the Beneficiary would be employed in a managerial or executive capacity within
one year of approval of the new office petition. We rejected the Petitioner's appeal of the Director's
decision as untimely and denied the four subsequent combined motions to reopen and reconsider,
each time finding that the Petitioner did not overcome the reasons for rejection of the appeal.
The matter is now before us on a fifth combined motion to reopen and motion to reconsider. In
support of its motion, the Petitioner again attempts to invoke a federal procedure doctrine which it
claims gives us the discretionary authority to excuse the untimely filing of the appeal.
Upon review, we will deny the combined motion to reopen and reconsider.
l. MOTION REQUIREMENTS
A motion to reopen is based on factual grounds and must (1) state the new facts to be provided in the
reopened proceeding; and (2) be supported by affidavits or other documentary evidence, 8 C.F.R.
§ 103.5(a)(2). A motion to reconsider is based on legal grounds and must(!) state the reasons for
reconsideration; (2) be supported by any pertinent precedent decisions to establish that the decision
was based on an incorrect application of law or policy; and (3) establish that the decision was
incorrect based on the evidence of record at the time of the initial decision. 8 C.F.R. § 103.5(a)(3).
1 The tenn "new office" refers to an organization which has been doing business in the United States for less than one
year. 8 C.F.R. § 214.2(1)(1)(ii)(F). The regulation at 8 C.F.R. § 214.2(1)(3)(v)(C) allows a ·'new office'' operation no
more than one year within the date of approval of the petition to support an executive or managerial Position.
Matter of D-, LLC
II. ANALYSIS
The issue in this matter is whether we properly denied the Petitioner's fourth combined motion to
reopen and reconsider in our prior decision, which was issued on November 30, 2017.
For the reasons discussed below, we will deny the motion to reopen and the motion to reconsider.
While the current motion includes newly submitted assertions that we incorrectly applied the law
and USCrS policy to the facts presented, the Petitioner has not shown proper cause for reopening or
reconsideration.
A. Motion to Reopen .
First, as in our prior decision, we note that the Petitioner does not dispute the conclusion in four
previous decisions that it filed an untimely appeal. The Director of the Vermont Service Center
denied the petition and served the unfavorable decision by mail on March 31, 2015. USCIS received
the Petitioner's appeal on May 5, 2015, 35 days after the service date of the unfavorable decision 2
Accordingly, we rejected the appeal as untimely. 8 C.F.R. § 103.3(a)(2)(v)(B)(l). The Petitioner
does not contend in this motion or in its prior motions that the appeal was actually received by
users at the designated filing location on or before the day the appeal was due.
As in its prior motion, the Petitioner invokes the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure- specifically, the
Doctrine of Excusable Neglect - to support the contention that we committed legal error when we
rejected the Petitioner's untimely tiled brief. However, the Petitioner made this argument in support
of its previously filed motion; we then acknowledged and addressed this argument in our decision
dated November 30, 2017. We found that a concept based in the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure
does not apply to our appellate matters and pointed out that we derive our appellate authority
primarily from a delegation by the Secretary of Homeland Security. 3
The Petitioner also restates the circumstances surrounding its untimely filing, summarizing the same
points that it made in support of its prior motions. However, we interpret "new facts" to mean facts
that are relevant to the issue(s) that are raised on motion and that have not beenpreviously submitted
in the proceeding. Reasserting previously stated facts or resubmitting p'reviously provided evidence
does not constitute "new facts." That said, the Petitioner refers to a newspaper article where it
2 Appeals are due 30 days after service of the decision. 8 C.F.R. § 103.3(a)(2)(i). Because the Director's decision was
served by mail, three days were added to the prescribed 30-day period. 8 C.P.R.§ 103.8(b): Because the due date for
the appeal fell on a Sunday, the appeal was due on the next business day, Monday, May 4, 2015. 8 C.F.R. § 1.2.
'See DHS Delegation Number 0150.1 (effective March. I, 2003). The Secretary may delegate any authority or function
to administer and enforce the immigration laws to any official, officer, or employee of the DHS. 6 U.S.C. § 112(b)(l);
8 C.F.R. § 2.1.. Courts have upheld our appellate authority based on the delegation. See United States v. Gonzalez &
Gonzalez Bonds & Ins. Agency, Inc., 728 F. Supp. 2d 1077, 1083-84 (N.D. Cal. 20 I 0) ("[T]he Secretary's delegation of
appellate jurisdiction to the AAO is valid without publication in the Federal Register, so long as it is a rule of agency
organization, procedure or practice."); see also Rahman v. Napolitano, 814 F. Supp. 2d 1098, 1103 (W.D. Wash. 2011).
2
Matter of D-, LLC
claims "the Immigration Service has formally stated its displeasure" in relying on the United States
Postal Service. The Petitioner contends that the article should be deemed as "new evidence" in
support of this motion. We disagree and find that the article does not excuse the Petitioner's failure
to comply with filing deadlines that are set forth in the regulations or other applicable law.
In sum, we find that in this proceeding, as in its previously filed motion, the Petitioner has not
submitted new facts or evidence; it therefore has not met the requirements of a motion to reopen.
For this reason, the motion to reopen is denied.
B. Motion to Reconsider
In support of the current motion to reconsider, the Petitioner contends that our November 2017
decision was "based upon a mistaken concept and pronouncement." In support of this argument, the
Petitioner cites to the instructions for the Form·l-2908, Notice of Appeal or Motion, pointing out
that we have discretionary authority to excuse an untimely filed motion to reopen if the Petitioner
shows that the filing meets a specific set of conditions. We find, however, that these instructions are
not relevant in the matter at hand where none of the Petitioner's motions were deemed untimely.
Rather, the Petitioner seeks reconsideration and reopening of a matter that stems from an untimely
filed appeal. Neither the Form 1-2908 instructions nor the regulations indicate that we have
discretionary authority to consider an untimely filed appeal under any circumstances.
'The Petitioner also cites several published circuit and district court decisions to support its reliance
on a doctrine that derives its authority from the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. However, as we
discussed in our November 2017 decision, neither the doctrine nor the federal rules apply to these
proceedings, which stemmed from the filing of an untimely appeal in the case of a nonimmigrant
petition. Contrary to the Petitioner's contentions, the federal rules govern only civil actions and
proceedings that arise in the United States district courts. See Fed. R. Civ. P. 1. Moreover, as
repeatedly discussed in several of our prior decisions, there are express regulations, which require
the Petitioner to file an appeal within 33 calendar days of the date that USCIS served the unfavorable
decision by mail. 8 C.F.R. §§ 103.3(a)(2)(i); 103.8(b). Neither the Act nor the pertinent regulations
grant us the authority to extend the time limit for filing an appeal.
The Petitioner has not submitted evidence that would meet the requirements of a motion to
reconsider. Accordingly, the motion to reconsider must be denied.
l
3
Matter of D-,. LLC
Ill. CONCLUSION
For the reasons discussed, the Petitioner has not shown proper cause to reopen the proceeding or
proper cause for reconsideration.
ORDER: The motion to reopen is denied.
FURTHER ORDER: The motion to reconsider is denied.
Cite as Matter ofD-, LLC, !D# 1406558 (AAO June 25, 2018)
:4 Avoid the mistakes that led to this denial
MeritDraft learns from dismissed cases so your petition avoids the same pitfalls. Get arguments built on winning precedents.
Avoid This in My Petition →No credit card required. Generate your first petition draft in minutes.