Happy Thanksgiving from the Law Offices of Keshab Raj Seadie, P.C.
Dear Clients, Friends, and Readers,
As we gather with loved ones to celebrate this season of gratitude, we want to take a moment to thank you for your continued trust and partnership. Serving you whether in navigating the immigration process, securing opportunities for your families, or helping your businesses thrive is our greatest privilege.
This year, we are especially grateful for the thousands of clients and readers who rely on our guidance, read our newsletters, and allow us to be part of their American journey. Your resilience, stories, and successes inspire our work every day.
From our entire team in New York City, we wish you and your families a warm, joyful, and peaceful Thanksgiving.
With sincere appreciation,
Keshab Raj Seadie, Esq.
Law Offices of Keshab Raj Seadie, P.C.
USCIS and State Department Advance Implementation of New “Gold Card” Permanent Residence Program
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), and the Department of State (DOS) have taken major steps toward launching the “Gold Card” Permanent Residence Program, the Trump administration’s new fast-track pathway to U.S. permanent residence based on substantial financial donations to the U.S. Treasury. Federal agencies are racing to meet the December 18 implementation deadline mandated by the executive order announcing the program earlier this fall. Recent developments indicate that the government is entering the operational phase of rollout, with draft forms, fee structures, and processing instructions now taking shape across USCIS, DOS, and the Department of Commerce. Details on the Proposed Gold Card Process According to draft instructions for the forthcoming Form I-140G, the Gold Card application will involve a multi-agency process: 1. Application Filed with the Department of Commerce:- Applicants — or sponsoring employers — will first submit a Gold Card application to the Department of Commerce, initiating the donation-based review process.
2. Payment of a $15,000 Nonrefundable Fee:
- Each applicant must pay a $15,000 nonrefundable fee through pay.gov. This fee covers government processing and vetting at the Commerce and DHS levels.
3. Filing Form I-140G with USCIS:
Applicants will next file the soon-to-be-released Form I-140G with USCIS.
USCIS will use this form to:
- Evaluate the beneficiary’s eligibility under the new immigrant visa classification.
- Conduct security and background vetting.
- Verify that the donated funds originate from lawful sources.
- Gold Card beneficiaries must complete immigrant-visa processing abroad using the new Form DS-260G, for which DOS is seeking emergency approval from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). The DS-260G is nearly identical to the standard DS-260 but assigned exclusively for Gold Card cases.
Important: The draft I-140G instructions currently do not address adjustment of status within the United States, meaning Gold Card applicants may be required to consular process abroad even if they are in the U.S.
5. Donation Requirements for Eligibility:
The Gold Card program allows permanent residence eligibility under either:
- EB-1 Extraordinary Ability, or
- EB-2 National Interest Waiver (NIW) categories.
The required donation thresholds are:
- $1 million — for individual petitioners making donations directly to the U.S. Treasury.
- $2 million — for cases where a company or employer sponsor makes the donation on behalf of a foreign national beneficiary.
These donations are central to qualifying for Gold Card status, forming the basis upon which USCIS will evaluate eligibility and conduct source-of-funds vetting.
6. What’s Next for the Gold Card Program:
The U.S. government is fast-tracking all components necessary for launch:
- The Form I-140G has already been cleared by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).
- The State Department is seeking emergency approval for the DS-260G consular application.
- Agencies are finalizing processing instructions, security-screening measures, and fraud-prevention protocols.
USCIS Announces New National Security Measures Following D.C. National Guard Shooting
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has issued sweeping new national-security guidance following the tragic shooting of two National Guard service members in Washington, D.C. by an Afghan national. Effective immediately, USCIS officers are authorized to consider negative, country-specific factors when adjudicating immigration benefits for individuals from 19 designated high-risk countries.
The updated directive revives and expands national-security screening protocols first implemented during the initial year of the Trump administration, when refugee resettlement from Afghanistan and entry of Afghan nationals were halted. USCIS Director Joseph Edlow emphasized that the agency must now apply the “maximum degree” of vetting in light of recent events. “Yesterday’s horrific attack underscores the consequences of weakened screening policies,” Edlow stated. “This administration prioritizes American lives. USCIS officers now have explicit authority to apply country-specific risk indicators as significant negative factors in immigration cases.”
Under the new policy, adjudicators will evaluate factors such as the country’s ability to issue secure identity documents, reliability of background-check data, and known terrorism or public-safety risks associated with particular regions. The guidance is intended to strengthen enforcement of Presidential Proclamation 10949, which restricts the entry of foreign nationals who may pose security threats.
The policy applies immediately to all cases pending or filed on or after November 27, 2025, and is expected to impact a broad range of immigration benefits including asylum, adjustment of status, parole, and employment-based petitions.
Surge of Immigration-Court Changes: Mass Firings and New Judges — Many from Military & Federal Enforcement Backgrounds The U.S. immigration court system is undergoing rapid and controversial change, as the federal government recently terminated scores of sitting immigration judges and simultaneously brought in a wave of new appointees — many drawn from the military and other federal-law enforcement agencies. According to public records, the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) has dismissed dozens of immigration judges in 2025, including many with years of service and experience adjudicating asylum and removal cases. In response to the staffing void, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has hired 36 new immigration judges — among them 25 “temporary” judges. Many of the temporary judges are drawn from military backgrounds: lawyers from the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and National Guard have been authorized to fill immigration courts across the country. Critics and immigration-court veterans have voiced alarm that many of the new appointees lack prior immigration-law experience — a sharp departure from past requirements. Under the revised DOJ rules, former qualifications such as 10 years of immigration-law experience or prior judicial service have been waived. Supporters of the shift argue that the hires are necessary to begin tackling a massive backlog of immigration cases estimated at several million nationwide. However, opponents warn the changes threaten due process, judicial independence, and the fairness of hearings — especially in complex asylum or removal proceedings. As the immigration-court landscape is reshaped, many stakeholders say this represents a structural pivot — from experienced, specialized judges to a bench increasingly populated by military and federal-agency lawyers, many temporary, whose decisions could shape the fate of thousands of immigrants across the United States.
What Is FOIA and How Can It Help in Immigration and Visa Denial Cases?
The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) is a powerful federal law that gives individuals the right to request and obtain records from U.S. government agencies. In the immigration context, FOIA has become an essential tool for attorneys, applicants, and families seeking to understand the reasons behind delayed cases, visa denials, or adverse immigration decisions.
What Is FOIA? Enacted in 1966, FOIA requires federal agencies—such as USCIS, ICE, CBP, the Department of State, and the Department of Justice (EOIR)—to disclose records upon request, unless the information falls within specific exemptions (e.g., national security, law enforcement, or privacy protections). For immigration cases, FOIA is used to uncover critical documents that are not accessible to the public or to the applicant through normal channels. How FOIA Helps in Immigration Cases: FOIA requests can reveal information that directly impacts a petition or application, including: 1. USCIS Case Records You can obtain:- Prior visa petitions (I-130, I-140, I-129)
- Officer notes, memos, and internal decision reasoning
- RFE and NOID correspondence
- Past applications or forms filed on your behalf
This is invaluable for identifying inconsistencies, errors, or missing documents in your file.
2. EOIR (Immigration Court) Records
FOIA can provide:
- Entire immigration court files
- Charging documents (NTAs)
- Hearing transcripts and judge notes
This is critical for individuals who were in removal proceedings or unsure of their past legal history.
3. CBP & Entry/Exit History FOIA requests to CBP can produce:- Travel history and admission records
- Port-of-entry officer notes
- I-94 arrival and departure data
- Consular notes entered into the CCD (Consular Consolidated Database)
- Fraud investigation findings, if any
- Security advisory opinions (sometimes partially redacted)
- Prior visa applications and officer comments
- Internal correspondence related to your case
These records help an attorney understand why a visa was denied and how to strategically prepare a stronger re-application or rebuttal.
5. How to File a FOIA Request:
FOIA requests can be filed online with the specific agency:
- USCIS FOIA: https://first.uscis.gov
- CBP FOIA: via DHS FOIA portal
- ICE & EOIR FOIA: part of DHS/DOJ FOIA
- Department of State FOIA: foia.state.gov
A typical FOIA request should include:
- Full name, DOB, A-number (if any)
- Passport number for DOS visa records
- Specific records requested
- Signed authorization if filed by an attorney
- Discover the basis of immigration denials
- Identify errors by officers or agencies
- Correct inconsistent records
- Build stronger future filings
- Prepare legal arguments for motions, appeals, or new applications
For many clients—especially those facing complex histories, visa refusals, or unresolved prior filings—FOIA is the first and most crucial step before preparing any new immigration strategy.
Former Bosnian Soldier Pleads Guilty to Lying to Obtain U.S. Citizenship After Alleged War Crimes
A former Connecticut resident and naturalized U.S. citizen has pleaded guilty to federal charges after admitting she lied about her involvement in wartime abuses during the Bosnian conflict in order to obtain U.S. citizenship. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) played a key role in the investigation, which was led by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut.
According to court records, Nada Radovan Tomanic, 53, now living in West Virginia, served with the Zulfikar Special Unit of the Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an elite division active during the 1990s conflict. Prosecutors stated that she participated in the physical and psychological abuse of Bosnian Serb civilian prisoners. Despite this, when applying for naturalization in 2012, Tomanic falsely denied serving in any detention-related roles and concealed having committed crimes under Yugoslav law, specifically the offense of inflicting serious bodily harm.
USCIS officers later interviewed Tomanic under oath, where she again repeated her false statements, constituting a deliberate effort to procure citizenship “contrary to law.” Her fraudulent answers triggered a multi-agency investigation involving the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security’s Human Rights Violators and War Crimes Center, USCIS’ Office of Fraud Detection and National Security, and international partners in Bosnia and Serbia. Tomanic pleaded guilty to one count of unlawfully procuring U.S. citizenship, a felony that carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison. Her sentencing is scheduled for February 3, 2026.Sincerely,
Keshab Raj Seadie, Esq.
Law Offices of Keshab Raj Seadie, P.C. Disclaimer: This newsletter is intended for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Always consult an attorney for personalized advice.
