This is a Federal mass lawsuit challenging USCIS’s failure to make a decision on Naturalization applications (Form N-400) after the applicant has completed the required interview.

Under Federal law, once USCIS interviews you on your N-400, it has 120 days to grant or deny your application. When that deadline passes with no decision, the law allows you to ask a Federal Court to step in. We are suing USCIS to ask a Federal Judge to:

• Take jurisdiction over your delayed application;
• Either decide your naturalization application itself, or order USCIS to make a decision promptly; and
• End the unreasonable delay in your case.

The lawsuit is based on 8 U.S.C. § 1447(b). That statute provides that if USCIS fails to make a decision on a naturalization application within 120 days after the interview, the applicant may file suit in the Federal District Court where they reside. The Court may then decide the matter itself or remand it to USCIS with instructions.

To join, you must:

• Have a pending Form N-400 (Application for Naturalization);
• Have already attended your naturalization interview with USCIS;
• Have had no decision from USCIS for more than 120 days after that interview; and
• Reside in the Central District of California (see Question 4).

This lawsuit must be filed in the Court that covers where you live. This case will be filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. To join, you must currently reside in one of the following counties:

• Los Angeles
• Orange
• Riverside
• San Bernardino
• San Luis Obispo
• Santa Barbara
• Ventura

If you live outside these counties, you are not eligible to join this particular lawsuit

This lawsuit is not for:

• Applicants who have not yet had their naturalization interview;
• Applicants whose 120 days since the interview have not yet passed;
• Applicants who have already received a decision (approval or denial) on their N-400;
• Applicants who do not reside in one of the counties listed above; or
• Anyone currently in removal (deportation) proceedings.

The lawsuit is directed against the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and the U.S. Government.

No. There are no guarantees of any outcome. The goal of the lawsuit is to get a decision on your long-delayed application, not to force an approval. USCIS will still review whether you meet all the requirements for naturalization. A decision could be an approval or a denial.

The legal fee is $2,999 per client. Once the case is filed in Federal Court, the fee is considered fully earned.

Yes. Submissions close on XXXXX at 6:00 p.m. PST.

Your flat fee covers everything needed to get the lawsuit started, including:

• Writing and filing the Complaint;
• Officially notifying (serving) the Government;
• Routine communication with the Court and opposing counsel;
• Negotiating with the Government’s attorneys;
• Asking the Court to decide your case or order USCIS to decide it; and
• Closing out the lawsuit once it is resolved.

The fee does NOT include:

• One-on-one calls with your attorney;
• Appealing to a higher Court;
• Preparing for or attending a new or continued USCIS interview;
• Responding to Requests for Evidence (RFEs) or Notices of Intent to Deny (NOIDs);
• Filing any immigration forms with USCIS or other agencies;
• Extra motions or Court filings after the initial Complaint;
• Attending hearings or oral arguments, or any other Court appearances;
• Any immigration issue unrelated to this lawsuit; or
• Emergency motions unless we separately agree to that in writing.

This lawsuit challenges only the delay in deciding your case; it does not cover responding to an RFE, NOID, or similar notice from USCIS. If USCIS issues one of these during or after the litigation, responding to it falls outside the flat fee for this case. Our family-based immigration team can assist you with the response for a separate fee under its own agreement.

Instead of filing one lawsuit per person, we group everyone with a similar claim into a single Federal case. We handle the strategy, paperwork, and Court appearances together for the whole group.

Yes. The applicant whose naturalization case is delayed is named as a Plaintiff, because you are the person directly affected by the delay.

There is no set timeline. After the lawsuit is filed, the U.S. Government is served and typically has up to 60 days to respond. In many cases, the delay is resolved when USCIS schedules or issues a decision rather than through a full litigation process, but timelines depend entirely on the Court and the Government’s response.

The Government may argue that your examination is not “complete” (for example, because background checks or additional review are pending) and that the 120-day clock has not started or the delay is justified. We will respond that the interview triggered the 120-day period under §1447(b) and that the Court has authority to resolve the delay.

That the Court takes jurisdiction and either decides your naturalization application or orders USCIS to make a prompt decision, ending the delay.

In our Complaint we ask the Court to conduct a de novo review and decide your naturalization application itself. In practice, however, the most common outcome is that the Court remands the case back to USCIS with instructions to make a decision within a set period, rather than making a decision directly. Once the case is remanded, USCIS still reviews whether you meet all requirements for naturalization and may grant or deny the application.

If you provide false information, fail to cooperate, or stop responding to requests, you may be removed from representation. Other withdrawal conditions may also apply under the agreement.

The legal drafting of the lawsuit is the exclusive privilege and responsibility of the attorney. We will send you a paragraph containing your case information and you will only need to review this text to ensure the facts are correct. You may point out corrections if a specific factual event regarding your case is inaccurate, but you cannot add extra information or personal hardship to the drafted text.

To ensure the strongest legal strategy for the entire group, the attorney retains the final decision on what information is ultimately included or excluded from the lawsuit.

Yes. We will assign clear deadlines for you to submit your onboarding information and to review and approve your drafted paragraph. You must monitor your email and respond promptly to our requests to keep the group case moving forward. If you fail to cooperate or stop responding to requests by the stated deadline, you may be removed from representation.

After you pay and sign:

• You will receive an onboarding questionnaire;
• Your eligibility and case details will be reviewed; and
• If you are found not eligible, your payment will be fully refunded.

Because this is a group case with one flat fee, updates regarding the lawsuit, Court filings, major developments, and answers to common questions will be provided through group communications, including group emails and, when appropriate, group video calls.

The representation provided through this mass lawsuit does not include individualized communications with the attorney. Communications will be handled collectively. If you want personal calls or your own legal strategy, you can hire the attorney separately, outside this group case.

As with any lawsuit, there are risks. The case may take time to resolve, and the timeline cannot be predicted or controlled. The Court could remand your case to USCIS rather than decide it, and even after a decision USCIS may deny your application if you do not meet the requirements for naturalization.

Refunds are available only if the firm determines you are not eligible before filing. After the lawsuit is filed in Federal Court, the fee is non-refundable, regardless of outcome.

There is no money payment to you. In some cases, Federal law (the Equal Access to Justice Act) lets us recover attorney’s fees from the Government, but that money goes to the firm as payment for our work, not to you. If any Court payment is mistakenly issued directly to you, you agree to sign it over to Goldstein Immigration Lawyers, P.C.

Your flat fee only covers the initial lawsuit in Federal District Court. If the case is appealed or needs further litigation after a decision, that is a separate stage requiring its own agreement and fee.

You will need to:

• Sign the Representation Agreement;
• Pay the required fee; and
• Complete the onboarding questionnaire.