Hunter
08/02/26
An Iowa man is suing the US government because he has been stranded in Canada for over a year on visa-related issues.
Iowa Capitol Dispatch reports Pakastani national Haider Raza first arrived in America 11 years ago through a student visa, attended Iowa State and works for Kingland Systems at the company’s headquarters in Clear Lake.
He was granted H-1B status, which is a temporary employer-sponsored classification that allows foreign nationals to work in specialized fields within the US. Raza sought to extend his status for another three years in 2024. Visa requests by foreign nationals are handled by the Department of State’s Bureau of Consular Affairs at US embassies abroad. Raza then traveled to Canada last year and attended a visa-application interview at the US Consulate in Toronto last August 5th.
Raza was informed that his application would be placed in “administrative processing,” but in the nearly 12 months since then, the application remains pending with no action taken. He inquired several times about his status before being told the Consulate was unable to determine when his application would be processed.
His employer has enlisted the assistance of three members of Congress, who are getting the same answer.
In his suit, Raza says he cannot re-enter the US without a visa stamp and has been on unpaid leave since October of last year. He claims significant emotional and financial hardship. He seeks to have the court intervene and compel the US Department of State to act on his behalf and get his application processed.
The Department has yet to file a response to the lawsuit.