HSPRD MANDAMUS LAWSUIT AGAINST THE DEPARTMENT OF STATE UNITES SYRIAN PHYSICIAN WITH HIS FAMILY

On August 23, 2019, HSPRD filed a mandamus lawsuit against the U.S. Department of State to force the Department to issue the visa that our client, Shaza, a citizen of Syria, needed to join her husband Rami, a physician living in Brooklyn.  The lawsuit challenged the government’s unlawful and unreasonable delay in issuing Shaza’s visa.   As a result of the lawsuit, the State Department issued the visa, and Shaza arrived in the United States in time to give birth to their U.S. citizen son in New York. Rami, Shaza, and their son live in Brooklyn where Rami is a physician at Maimonides Medical Center treating patients with COVID-19.  After seven years of marriage, Rami and Shaza are celebrating their first Ramadan together.  For the previous seven Ramadans, Rami was on his own in the United States, far from home. The World, public radio’s longest-running global news broadcast, recently interviewed Rami and Shaza about their experience.

‘“The most challenging thing was eating alone’, he recalled, ‘because this is the time when the family gather and eat together, having fun.  But for me, for seven years, I didn’t have this opportunity.’”

HSRPD’s immigration practice group was thrilled to use its legal skills to help unite this family. If you, a relative, or a friend are separated from family by the refusal of the State Department to issue a visa or have any other immigration problem, please email one of the following attorneys in our immigration practice team to discuss whether HSPRD may be able to help:

Kalman D. Resnick at kresnick@hsplegal.com
Robert W. Krug at rkrug@hsplegal.com
Ian D. Wagreich at iwagreich@hsplegal.com
William B. Schilller at wschiller@hsplegal.com
Chirag Baldani at cbadlani@hsplegal.com
Kendra Scheuerlein at kscheuerlein@hsplegal.com
Kelli Fennell at kfennell@hsplegal.com
Susan Gzesh at sgzesh@hsplegal.com

CLICK HERE to read The World online report and on the link in the report to listen to Rami and Shaza’s radio interview.

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