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Law Offices of Shawn S. Sedaghat
Immigration delay litigation · Federal court
Waiting on USCIS with no answer? We sue USCIS for delays and force a decision.
If your green card, citizenship, asylum, or visa case has been sitting in “administrative processing” with no real answer, a Writ of Mandamus can compel the government to act. Talk to an immigration attorney who has done exactly this in federal court for 27+ years.
Which one is happening to you right now?
Tap the situation that fits. Every one of these is a delay we can take to federal court.
01
My green card (I-485) has been pending for years
Adjustment of status stuck with no interview or decision. We can sue to force USCIS to act.
Start here → 02My citizenship case (N-400) is stuck
Waiting on your oath, or no decision 120+ days after your interview? That’s a 1447(b) lawsuit.
Start here → 03My asylum case has gone silent
Years waiting for an interview or a decision. We can compel the asylum office to move.
Start here → 04My visa is stuck in 221(g) / administrative processing
Held at the embassy or consulate for months. We file in federal court to break the logjam.
Start here → 05My case is stuck at the National Visa Center (NVC)
Documentarily qualified but no interview scheduled. We can push it forward.
Start here → 06Something else is delayed
I-130, EB-5, U-visa, work permit (EAD), or FOIA — if it’s unreasonably delayed, we can help.
Start here →What a Writ of Mandamus actually does
A Writ of Mandamus is a lawsuit filed in federal court that asks a judge to order a government agency — USCIS, the State Department, an embassy, or the NVC — to make a decision on a case it has unreasonably delayed. Important: it does not force the government to approve your case. It forces them to decide it. In practice, simply filing the lawsuit often gets a long-stalled case moving, frequently within 60 to 180 days. After months or years of silence, it is often the one step that finally produces an answer.
It compels a decision — not a guaranteed approval.
You’ve done everything right, and still heard nothing.
You filed on time. You answered every request. You checked the case status until you knew it by heart. Maybe you contacted USCIS and got the same script — “your case is in administrative processing.” Maybe you went to your congressman’s office and received a polite letter that changed nothing. Meanwhile your life is on hold: a job you can’t take, a parent you can’t visit, a family you can’t reunite.
Here’s what we want you to know: a delay this long is not always something you simply have to accept. Federal courts exist precisely to hold agencies accountable when they sit on a case. We’ll tell you honestly whether yours is one we believe we can move — and if it is, we’ll move fast.
— Shawn S. Sedaghat & and his team of immigration delay lawyers
What happens after you reach out
The not-knowing is the hardest part. Here’s exactly how this works.
We review your case
We look at what you filed, how long it’s been pending, and whether the delay is legally “unreasonable.” Many delayed cases qualify — even some still within posted processing times.
We file in federal court
We draft and file the mandamus complaint, name the right agencies, and serve the government.
The government responds
Once sued, the agency is under a court’s eye. In most cases they act on the long-stalled file, often within 60–180 days.
We stay with you
Through the government’s response, any settlement, and the decision. You’re not navigating federal court alone.
Every kind of immigration delay, taken to federal court.
Below is the legal name, what it means in plain English, and how we handle it.
N-400 / 1447(b) Naturalization Delays
“Citizenship stuck”No decision 120+ days after your interview, or an interview that never comes. Section 1447(b) gives you a direct route to federal court.
I-485 Adjustment of Status
“Green card delays”Years pending with no interview or decision. We compel USCIS to adjudicate.
Asylum Delays
“Silence on a life-changing case”Interviews and decisions stalled for years. We push the asylum office to act.
221(g) Consular / Administrative Processing
“Visa stuck at the embassy”Held in “administrative processing” for months. We litigate to force a decision.
NVC Delays
“Stuck before the interview”Documentarily qualified but no interview scheduled. We move it forward.
I-130 Family Petitions
“Family kept waiting”Petitions sitting far beyond normal times. We compel action.
EB-5 (I-526 / I-829)
“Investor cases stalled”Multi-year waits on investor petitions and removal of conditions.
U-Visa & EAD Delays
“Protection and work on hold”Crime-victim petitions and work permits stuck in the backlog.
FOIA Delays
“Records you’re owed”Requests ignored past the legal deadline.
What clients say after the case finally moved.
Shawn S. Sedaghat — Founding Attorney
Twenty-seven years of immigration law, including federal litigation and Ninth Circuit appellate work. Shawn and his senior attorneys personally handle the strategy and filings in every mandamus case — these matters are too important to delegate to junior staff.
27+
Years in immigration law
4.8
Average across 1,000+ Google reviews
2
California offices
3
Languages spoken in-house
Not a brochure. A team that takes your delay to federal court.
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A senior immigration mandamus lawyer in California — Every case is handled with full force of law
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Real federal-court experience — mandamus and APA lawsuit for Immigration Delays, plus Ninth Circuit appeals.
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Farsi and Spanish spoken in our office — talk about your case in the language you think in. We are one of the few California firms who can do this in Farsi.
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Speed when it counts — delay cases turn on momentum, and we move quickly once retained. Force USCIS to make a decision
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Two California offices, one standard — writ of mandamus lawyer Offices in Los Angeles and Orange County
The questions families ask before they reach out.
Will suing USCIS hurt my case or trigger retaliation?
No. This is the most common fear, and it’s understandable —
but it’s backwards. Agencies let cases sit precisely because
no one with authority is watching. Filing a lawsuit puts a
federal judge over the agency’s shoulder. By law they cannot
retaliate for you exercising your right to sue, and decisions
must be made on the law and the evidence. In practice, filing
tends to move a case forward, not backward.
What if my case is still within the “normal processing time”?
You may still qualify. Courts don’t look only at USCIS’s
posted averages — they weigh the harm to you, whether the agency
has any real competing priority, and other factors. We’ve seen
cases move even when the agency claimed they were “on time.”
How long does this take?
Often faster than you’d expect. In most mandamus cases
the government acts within 60 to 180 days of filing —
after you may have already waited years.
What does mandamus actually achieve?
A decision. It compels the agency to adjudicate your case.
It does not order them to approve it — but for people stuck
in silence, getting a real decision is the breakthrough.
My case is at the embassy / NVC / asylum office — can you still help?
Yes. We litigate delays across USCIS, the State Department,
consulates and embassies, and the NVC. The location isn’t
the obstacle — the delay is, and that’s what we target.
Do you speak Farsi and Spanish?
Yes. We speak English, Farsi (Persian), and Spanish in our
office. The most important conversation about your case
should happen in the language you think in.
CONFIDENTIAL CASE REVIEW
Tell us what’s stuck.
A lawyer will review it.
Send the form and a real person from our office — not a call center — will read it and respond, usually the same day.
It’s free, confidential, and no obligation.
Your information goes to our attorneys.
If we’re not the right firm, we’ll tell you honestly.
READY TO HAVE YOUR CASE REVIEWED?
TALK TO A LAWYER TODAY
how to file writ of mandamus immigration lawsuit
Tell us about your delayed immigration case.
Free. Confidential. No obligation.
Immigration Case Pending long enough. Let’s get your case moving.
Tell us what’s delayed. A real person from our office will review your information and respond, usually the same day.
