Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals Finds I-140 Beneficiary has Standing to Sue over Denial of Employment-Based Visa Petition

In Patel v. USCIS, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals held that the Beneficiary of an I-140 (Employment-Based) visa petition had standing to sue under the Administrative Procedures Act. This decision is particularly interesting because the Petitioning Employer who filed the I-140 petition failed to obtain a labor certification for the Beneficiary before filing the I-140, which is a requirement for filing the I-140. Instead, the Petitioner included a Labor Certification obtained by a different employer for the Beneficiary several years ago with the I-140 petition. The Court appears to believe that the I-140 was approvable as filed and that USCIS was arbitrary and capricious in denying the I-140. It will be interesting to see what happens in this case!