Matter of Allotey (Board decision, June 17, 1975)

Plain-English summary

A Ghanaian citizen entered the United States as a visitor after his student visa application was denied, then left his tour group and began the studies he had arranged in Oregon. The Board held that his plan to study when he sought visitor entry was an adverse factor in deciding whether to grant adjustment of status. His marriage to a United States citizen during a voluntary departure period did not, by itself, provide the unusual or outstanding equities needed to overcome that factor. The Board dismissed his appeal and allowed voluntary departure within 30 days, subject to any extension by the district director. One Board member dissented and would have granted adjustment.

Decision snapshot

• Cited authority: INA §§ 241(a)(2) and 245; Matter of Arai, 13 I. & N. Dec. 494 (BIA 1970).
• Outcome: Appeal dismissed; adjustment denied; voluntary departure permitted.
• Key point: A visitor's prior plan to study weighed against discretionary adjustment, and a later marriage alone did not overcome it.

Full text (BIA official public release)

Interim Decision #2398

MATTER OF ALLOTEY
In Deportation Proceedings
A-19790414
Decided by Board June 17, 1975
(1) In an application for adjustment of status under section 245 of the Immigration and Nationality Act, the applicant's preconceived intent to remain as a student, having entered the country on the pretext of being a nonimmigrant visitor, was held to be an adverse factor which could only be overcome by unusual or outstanding equities. See Matter of Arai, 13 I. & N. Dec. 494 (BIA 1970). (2) Applicant's marriage to a United States citizen—entered into during the voluntary departure period he was given to make departure arrangements—was not, standing alone, such an unusual or outstanding equity. CHARGE: Order: Act of 1952—Section 241(a)(2) [8 U.S.C. 1251(a)(2)]—Nonimmigrant visitor— remained longer than permitted.
ON BEHALF OF RESPONDENT: Rodney W. Banks, Esquire P. O. Box 505
Gearhart, Oregon 97138

This is an appeal from the immigration judge's denial of the respon- dent's application for adjustment of status. In his decision, entered on June 18, 1972, the immigration judge found the respondent deportable and granted to him the privilege of voluntary departure. The appeal will be dismissed. The record relates to a married male alien, 27 years of age, a native and citizen of Ghana, who entered the United States as a nonimmigrant visitor on August 8, 1971, authorized to remain until February 2, 1972. Deportability is conceded. The immigration judge denied the respon- dent's application for adjustment of status as a matter of discretion. We agree with the decision of the immigration judge. The respondent applied for a student visa for the United States which was denied, because he was unable, due to foreign exchange regulations of his own country, to establish that he would have sufficient funds. He thereupon joined a travel group which was arranging a charter flight to and tour of the United States. He entered the United States as a member of the group, classified as a visitor for pleasure. Two days later, 351
Interim Decision #2398
he left the group and flew to Oregon, where he commenced studies at the institute which he had previously arranged to attend. From these facts we find that at the time of the respondent's applica- tion for his visitor's visa and his admission as a visitor he had a precon- ceived intention to be a student in the United States, for which status he had been unable to obtain a visa. We find his use of a pretext to gain entry to the United States to constitute an adverse factor. Where an adverse factor is present, it can be overcome only by a showing of unusual or outstanding equities, Matter of Arai, 13 I. & N. Dec. 494, 496 (BIA 1970). We do not find his marriage to a United States citizen—entered into during the month for which he had requested and been granted voluntary departure in order to make his departure arrangements—alone, to constitute such an unusual or outstanding equity that we would grant him the extraordinary remedy of adjust- ment of status as a matter of discretion. ORDER: The appeal is dismissed. Further order: Pursuant to the immigration judge's order, the re- spondent is permitted to depart from the United States voluntarily within 30 days from the date of this order or any extension beyond that time as may be granted by the district director; and in the event of failure so to depart, the respondent shall be deported as provided in the immigration judge's order. Board Member Louisa Wilson, dissenting, would grant adjustment of status under section 245 of the Immigration and Nationality Act.

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