HeatDeath

I've finally got my I-751 packet put together. I've just got the cover letter and final list drafted, and I should be able to send this out later this week, and finally get this step in the journey under way. I became eligible to file in early September, but life happened, as it tends to, and it's taken 'til now to get everything organized and together.
Before I send off my package, however, I would like to make the now-traditional request for other people who are going through or have recently gone through the I-751 process to give my list and cover letter a lookover, estimate whether I have enough evidence, check to see if the writing style is good [not too formal], etc. I would really appreciate any input you all may have.
Before I started this process, I put together my own list of evidence by looking through literally dozens of similar threads in the forum archives. Comments on this cover letter won't just help me, but many others who will find this thread in the weeks and months to come.
Thank you very much.

You will not be affected, I guarantee it. A temporary ban on some kinds of new immigration is an entirely different kind of thing than blocking GC holders from reentering the country.
 
If you have a GC in your hand, you've already immigrated, and none of this affects you at all.

General pieces of advice:
 
Do not panic. I repeat, do not panic. If you are in the US on a legal status, stay here, marry, and AOS. Get that AOS paperwork filed as soon as humanly possible, because even if GC issuances are suspended, having an AOS in process means your status will freeze as AOS applicant and you'll be fine. If you have a visa in hand and can travel to the US, do so as soon as humanly possible. Check with the airline that flights are still going to the US before you book. Check with the land crossing that they are allowing entrances on your visa classification. If you do not yet have a visa in hand, you were already looking at massive delays anyways, because the embassies aren't doing face to face interviews anyways.  
For those of you who have faith in a higher power, always remember, every single event you experience comes from that higher power. Trump can't so much as breathe without that higher power's ongoing and continuously regranted permission, the higher power cares about you, and orchestrates everything, including painful things like immigration delays and setbacks, for the ultimate best, even though a lot of times it doesn't feel like it.
 

You will not be affected, I guarantee it. A temporary ban on some kinds of new immigration is an entirely different kind of thing than blocking GC holders from reentering the country.
 
If you have a GC in your hand, you've already immigrated, and none of this affects you at all.

Have we considered the possibility that, in the absence of anything resembling an official or even vaguely-plausible leaked draft text of the order, that the entire tweet was an elaborate bluff to put pressure on the negotiation teams hammering out the details of the second stimulus bill which is in the final stages of preparation?
 
A lot of what comes out of Trump's twitter account (and press conferences for that matter) is tactical negotiation rhetoric, rather than settled policy. He could very well just be bad-copping for the Republican congressional negotiators.

General pieces of advice:
 
Do not panic. I repeat, do not panic. If you are in the US on a legal status, stay here, marry, and AOS. Get that AOS paperwork filed as soon as humanly possible, because even if GC issuances are suspended, having an AOS in process means your status will freeze as AOS applicant and you'll be fine. If you have a visa in hand and can travel to the US, do so as soon as humanly possible. Check with the airline that flights are still going to the US before you book. Check with the land crossing that they are allowing entrances on your visa classification. If you do not yet have a visa in hand, you were already looking at massive delays anyways, because the embassies aren't doing face to face interviews anyways.  
For those of you who have faith in a higher power, always remember, every single event you experience comes from that higher power. Trump can't so much as breathe without that higher power's ongoing and continuously regranted permission, the higher power cares about you, and orchestrates everything, including painful things like immigration delays and setbacks, for the ultimate best, even though a lot of times it doesn't feel like it.
 

General pieces of advice:
 
Do not panic. I repeat, do not panic. If you are in the US on a legal status, stay here, marry, and AOS. Get that AOS paperwork filed as soon as humanly possible, because even if GC issuances are suspended, having an AOS in process means your status will freeze as AOS applicant and you'll be fine. If you have a visa in hand and can travel to the US, do so as soon as humanly possible. Check with the airline that flights are still going to the US before you book. Check with the land crossing that they are allowing entrances on your visa classification. If you do not yet have a visa in hand, you were already looking at massive delays anyways, because the embassies aren't doing face to face interviews anyways.  
For those of you who have faith in a higher power, always remember, every single event you experience comes from that higher power. Trump can't so much as breathe without that higher power's ongoing and continuously regranted permission, the higher power cares about you, and orchestrates everything, including painful things like immigration delays and setbacks, for the ultimate best, even though a lot of times it doesn't feel like it.
 

It probably couldn't be challenged anyways. We've had 20+ years of massive expansion of the powers of the Executive, enthusiastically endorsed by both sides of the aisle.
Because the one thing both parties agree on is having enormous unchallenged executive power is really awesome when your party is in the White House.
It's like they genuinely believe the other party will never win again or something.

General pieces of advice:
 
Do not panic. I repeat, do not panic. If you are in the US on a legal status, stay here, marry, and AOS. Get that AOS paperwork filed as soon as humanly possible, because even if GC issuances are suspended, having an AOS in process means your status will freeze as AOS applicant and you'll be fine. If you have a visa in hand and can travel to the US, do so as soon as humanly possible. Check with the airline that flights are still going to the US before you book. Check with the land crossing that they are allowing entrances on your visa classification. If you do not yet have a visa in hand, you were already looking at massive delays anyways, because the embassies aren't doing face to face interviews anyways.  
For those of you who have faith in a higher power, always remember, every single event you experience comes from that higher power. Trump can't so much as breathe without that higher power's ongoing and continuously regranted permission, the higher power cares about you, and orchestrates everything, including painful things like immigration delays and setbacks, for the ultimate best, even though a lot of times it doesn't feel like it.
 

I believe you are mistaken.
 
American citizens have an inalienable right to petition the government. That includes petitions for immigration benefits for relatives.
 
The US government is under no obligation whatsoever to grant immigration benefits [or any other petition] to anybody, whether they're related to a  US citizen or not.
 
And that legal principle you posted relates to local states overriding the federal government, it has nothing whatsoever to do with what the Federal government does under it's own authority. And all immigration law is federal.

General pieces of advice:
 
Do not panic. I repeat, do not panic. If you are in the US on a legal status, stay here, marry, and AOS. Get that AOS paperwork filed as soon as humanly possible, because even if GC issuances are suspended, having an AOS in process means your status will freeze as AOS applicant and you'll be fine. If you have a visa in hand and can travel to the US, do so as soon as humanly possible. Check with the airline that flights are still going to the US before you book. Check with the land crossing that they are allowing entrances on your visa classification. If you do not yet have a visa in hand, you were already looking at massive delays anyways, because the embassies aren't doing face to face interviews anyways.  
For those of you who have faith in a higher power, always remember, every single event you experience comes from that higher power. Trump can't so much as breathe without that higher power's ongoing and continuously regranted permission, the higher power cares about you, and orchestrates everything, including painful things like immigration delays and setbacks, for the ultimate best, even though a lot of times it doesn't feel like it.
 

General pieces of advice:
 
Do not panic. I repeat, do not panic. If you are in the US on a legal status, stay here, marry, and AOS. Get that AOS paperwork filed as soon as humanly possible, because even if GC issuances are suspended, having an AOS in process means your status will freeze as AOS applicant and you'll be fine. If you have a visa in hand and can travel to the US, do so as soon as humanly possible. Check with the airline that flights are still going to the US before you book. Check with the land crossing that they are allowing entrances on your visa classification. If you do not yet have a visa in hand, you were already looking at massive delays anyways, because the embassies aren't doing face to face interviews anyways.  
For those of you who have faith in a higher power, always remember, every single event you experience comes from that higher power. Trump can't so much as breathe without that higher power's ongoing and continuously regranted permission, the higher power cares about you, and orchestrates everything, including painful things like immigration delays and setbacks, for the ultimate best, even though a lot of times it doesn't feel like it.
 

No it doesnt. There is no right to have your "kin" immigrate. There are immigration laws that grant the abiltiy to petition, however the government has a final say on who may enter. This right is not enshrined in the constitution.

Get married and do AOS ASAP. Do not go back to France. We are in the same boat except my French husband is here visiting me while his CR1 is waiting for him in Paris Embassy. He is not going back. We are filing AOS next week.

The various articles have said they expect the actual deportation back to the UK to happen this week, perhaps as early as today, but they were picked up on the 2nd so yeah, it's been a little while.

Carrying $16000 cash in any currency is highly suspicious in almost any context (deeply eccentric, at best), let alone in a car quietly sneaking across the US border in the middle of the night (!), containing multiple adults who have been denied US visas (!!), and who are subsequently denied reentry to Canada (!!!).
 
[None of which was thought to be terribly relevant by the first WP "journalist". Propaganda, indeed!]
 
Their being detained is the system working completely and perfectly as designed. You can quibble about the conditions in the detention centers, but there is much more than reasonable probable cause here to suspect attempted illegal immigration, and detaining them pending deportation to the UK was absolutely the correct thing to do.

Carrying $16000 cash in any currency is highly suspicious in almost any context (deeply eccentric, at best), let alone in a car quietly sneaking across the US border in the middle of the night (!), containing multiple adults who have been denied US visas (!!), and who are subsequently denied reentry to Canada (!!!).
 
[None of which was thought to be terribly relevant by the first WP "journalist". Propaganda, indeed!]
 
Their being detained is the system working completely and perfectly as designed. You can quibble about the conditions in the detention centers, but there is much more than reasonable probable cause here to suspect attempted illegal immigration, and detaining them pending deportation to the UK was absolutely the correct thing to do.

Carrying $16000 cash in any currency is highly suspicious in almost any context (deeply eccentric, at best), let alone in a car quietly sneaking across the US border in the middle of the night (!), containing multiple adults who have been denied US visas (!!), and who are subsequently denied reentry to Canada (!!!).
 
[None of which was thought to be terribly relevant by the first WP "journalist". Propaganda, indeed!]
 
Their being detained is the system working completely and perfectly as designed. You can quibble about the conditions in the detention centers, but there is much more than reasonable probable cause here to suspect attempted illegal immigration, and detaining them pending deportation to the UK was absolutely the correct thing to do.

His US immigration trajectory was doomed the instant he omitted his military service on his student visa application. [And quite possibly before that when he failed to obtain documentation for his divorce.]
 
And any of us could have told him that 5 years ago.
 
Him moving to China is, frankly, the system working as designed. Hope he was more forthcoming with them.

So I sat down and read the actual proclamation.
 
The proclamation does not affect K-1 applicants. Period. Set your mind at ease.
The proclamation does not affect what will happen at your PoE - there will be no change in any of the procedure the CBP officer follows to admit you.
The proclamation does not affect an AOS in any way shape or from - there will be no change in any of the procedures USCIS use to adjudicate your AOS.
 
The only government employee whose behavior is changed by this is the consular officer considering giving you an immigrant visa. They will want to see a plan for getting you insurance within 30 days of entry.
 
For spousal visa entrants, this shouldn't change much of anything - leaving your home country's health coverage is a sufficient change-of-life event to allow you to be added to your sponsoring spouse's insurance in the overwhelming majority of cases, and most spousal visa entrants are already ending up on their spouse's insurance within 30 days of entry anyways.
 
Yes, it sucks if your sponsoring spouse doesn't have insurance to add you to. But really, if they're in that boat, then they didn't really have any business sponsoring you since there is pretty good odds you were going to end up using means tested public benefits anyways, and yes, this is aimed at you.
 
The other people who are most affected by this are familiy reunion visa applicants - typically parents -  and diversity visa entrants - parents cannot typically be added to employer insurance and DV entrants have no sponsors. If they cannot afford to purchase a marketplace health insurance plan within 30 days of entry, then yes, this is aimed at them too.
 
Personally, I was a K-1 entrant - this would not have directly affected me. But in a way it did anyways: my USC then-fiancee was unemployed, her parents cosponsored me, and there was no real way for me to get US health insurance until I statred working, which would take months. And you can bet the consular officer asked me about that, and took it into consideration. As well they should have.

So I sat down and read the actual proclamation.
 
The proclamation does not affect K-1 applicants. Period. Set your mind at ease.
The proclamation does not affect what will happen at your PoE - there will be no change in any of the procedure the CBP officer follows to admit you.
The proclamation does not affect an AOS in any way shape or from - there will be no change in any of the procedures USCIS use to adjudicate your AOS.
 
The only government employee whose behavior is changed by this is the consular officer considering giving you an immigrant visa. They will want to see a plan for getting you insurance within 30 days of entry.
 
For spousal visa entrants, this shouldn't change much of anything - leaving your home country's health coverage is a sufficient change-of-life event to allow you to be added to your sponsoring spouse's insurance in the overwhelming majority of cases, and most spousal visa entrants are already ending up on their spouse's insurance within 30 days of entry anyways.
 
Yes, it sucks if your sponsoring spouse doesn't have insurance to add you to. But really, if they're in that boat, then they didn't really have any business sponsoring you since there is pretty good odds you were going to end up using means tested public benefits anyways, and yes, this is aimed at you.
 
The other people who are most affected by this are familiy reunion visa applicants - typically parents -  and diversity visa entrants - parents cannot typically be added to employer insurance and DV entrants have no sponsors. If they cannot afford to purchase a marketplace health insurance plan within 30 days of entry, then yes, this is aimed at them too.
 
Personally, I was a K-1 entrant - this would not have directly affected me. But in a way it did anyways: my USC then-fiancee was unemployed, her parents cosponsored me, and there was no real way for me to get US health insurance until I statred working, which would take months. And you can bet the consular officer asked me about that, and took it into consideration. As well they should have.

This, folks, is what material misrepresentation [particularly omission] looks like. And it is a showstopper. You can try to drag out the fight, but you ain't ever coming back from it.
 
If you do not tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, in every single interaction you ever have with US immigration authorities, it will ruin your life.

The upshot is: trying to get a green card based on marriage to a USC after entering on a student visa, a very short prior marriage with no documentation of divorce, didn't mention Iranian military service on his student visa application, and high-school membership in what sounds like a religious branch of a quasi-military organization. Oh yeah, and filed a second AOS after the first was denied. Not to mention the intrinsic red flags of being Iranian with a STEM background. [Though, of course, these little details are all scattered around towards the end of a longish article. Bury the lead much, CNN?]
 
Can't say I'm terribly surprised he got flagged for a lot of extra scrutiny. 
 
Very interesting info about the security background check program though.

This still blows my mind. Both his actual circumstance, and how desperately the article's author or editor is working to whitewash and nothingburger what are objectively ridiculously serious issues with his entire immigration case.
 
The divorce documents thing seems like, by itself, it should have been recoverable. I know Islam has that divorce ritual that doesn't generate documentation, and if they left on bad terms I can see that being an issue, but they should have been able to get a civil authority or imam to issue something, even just notarized affidavits from family members.
 
On the other hand, omitting <ahem> IRANIAN MILITARY SERVICE (!!!) from his student visa application? That was unrecoverable. That's not just material misrepresentation, that is the literal sine qua non of material misrepresentation! I'm not certain I can actually imagine an instance of material representation that would possibly be bigger or worse, without being literally Al-Qaeda membership or murder convictions or something. And I literally cannot imagine that state of mind that would "innocently" consider it "nothing", let alone think that they can casually just not mention it on an application that specifically asks about military service, and expect it to squeak by. Frankly, it's a black mark on the DoS that he got a student visa in the first place.
 
And yeah, once you've got material representation in your immigration file (and a Doozy Whopper of an MR at that!), once you've been caught at that, it's done. Your're done. Everything since then was an utterly futile delaying action. You ain't never gonna get a GC with that in your file, no matter what the ACLU manage to get a court to do to the FBI, or what a subsequent administration decides about Basij, or anything else. A future US president could literally hire the Iranian Revolutionary Guard to replace the Secret Service, and this guy still isn't gonna get a GC from USCIS.
 
[The FBI, it seems, have almost literally nothing to do with his immigration issues, contrary to the headline.]
 
Equivocating between the [probably harmless] high-school branch of Basij, and the college-level branch that apparently goes out and beats up college protesters on behalf of the state, that was pretty bad too.

The upshot is: trying to get a green card based on marriage to a USC after entering on a student visa, a very short prior marriage with no documentation of divorce, didn't mention Iranian military service on his student visa application, and high-school membership in what sounds like a religious branch of a quasi-military organization. Oh yeah, and filed a second AOS after the first was denied. Not to mention the intrinsic red flags of being Iranian with a STEM background. [Though, of course, these little details are all scattered around towards the end of a longish article. Bury the lead much, CNN?]
 
Can't say I'm terribly surprised he got flagged for a lot of extra scrutiny. 
 
Very interesting info about the security background check program though.