Ullah v. LaFave
The court issued a preliminary injunction preventing application of the nationality-based pause to one named immigrant-visa applicant.
Limit: the order is plaintiff-specific, preliminary and not a nationwide final judgment.
- FEDERAL MASS ACTION PROSPECTUS
Federal Mass Action Against the 75-Country Immigrant Visa Pause
MC Law Firm is evaluating individuals for possible participation as named plaintiffs in a proposed multi-plaintiff federal complaint challenging the Department of State’s January 21, 2026 immigrant-visa issuance pause.
If your case may be affected, choose your language and complete the secure 3–4 minute preliminary-review form.
Submitting information does not create an attorney-client relationship, guarantee participation, or promise any visa or litigation result.
Case at a glance
| Matter | Proposed federal mass action |
|---|---|
| Status | Not yet filed |
| Initial cohort | Qualifying family- and employment-based immigrant-visa applicants |
| Legal fee | $2,250 per primary applicant/petition, subject to family rules |
| Upfront | $750 only after written engagement and firm acceptance |
| Deferred | $1,500 after qualifying immigrant-visa admission; 3 × $500 |
Preliminary eligibility
Who this proposed matter is designed to review
You may fit the initial cohort if
- You are a national of one of the listed 75 countries.
- You have a family- or employment-based immigrant-visa case in consular processing.
- You submitted Form DS-260 and have an immigrant-visa case number.
- You are not participating in another lawsuit challenging the same pause.
- The strongest initial cohort has completed the interview and is held or refused only because of the challenged policy.
- Documentarily qualified or interview-scheduled applicants may be reviewed as a reserve cohort.
You may need a different strategy if
- Your case is Diversity Visa, adjustment of status, adoption, or another special category.
- A separate Presidential Proclamation or travel-ban restriction applies.
- The consulate identified missing documents, fraud or misrepresentation, security or administrative processing, public charge, or another independent obstacle.
- You can use a valid passport from an unlisted country.
- You already joined another lawsuit challenging the same policy.
Policy background
The 75-Country Immigrant Visa Issuance Pause
According to the U.S. Department of State's published policy, immigrant-visa issuance was paused beginning January 21, 2026 for nationals of 75 listed countries. Applications, document submission, and interviews may continue even when issuance is paused.
Citizenship—not the location of the embassy or consulate—is the main policy trigger. The Department's published exception for a dual national using a valid passport from an unlisted country must be evaluated against the applicant's actual documents and the policy language in effect at the time of review.
This prospectus does not state that every refusal is unlawful or that every affected applicant has the same claim.
Do not combine separate legal regimesThree restrictions can require different litigation strategies
75-Country Issuance Pause
A Department of State policy and the principal subject of this proposed federal matter. Each applicant still requires individual screening.
Presidential Proclamation / Travel Ban
A separate legal restriction. Removing the challenged pause may not remove an independent proclamation-based barrier.
Diversity Visa Pause
A separate program with statutory timing issues. Diversity Visa applicants are not part of this initial matter.
Official policy listThe 75 nationalities named by the Department of State
- Afghanistan
- Albania
- Algeria
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Armenia
- Azerbaijan
- Bahamas
- Bangladesh
- Barbados
- Belarus
- Belize
- Bhutan
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Brazil
- Burma
- Cambodia
- Cameroon
- Cape Verde
- Colombia
- Cote d'Ivoire
- Cuba
- Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Dominica
- Egypt
- Eritrea
- Ethiopia
- Fiji
- The Gambia
- Georgia
- Ghana
- Grenada
- Guatemala
- Guinea
- Haiti
- Iran
- Iraq
- Jamaica
- Jordan
- Kazakhstan
- Kosovo
- Kuwait
- Kyrgyz Republic
- Laos
- Lebanon
- Liberia
- Libya
- Moldova
- Mongolia
- Montenegro
- Morocco
- Nepal
- Nicaragua
- Nigeria
- North Macedonia
- Pakistan
- Republic of the Congo
- Russia
- Rwanda
- Saint Kitts and Nevis
- Saint Lucia
- Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
- Senegal
- Sierra Leone
- Somalia
- South Sudan
- Sudan
- Syria
- Tanzania
- Thailand
- Togo
- Tunisia
- Uganda
- Uruguay
- Uzbekistan
- Yemen
Proposed federal actionWhat the proposed federal complaint may challenge
MC Law Firm is evaluating a multi-plaintiff federal complaint in which each accepted participant would be identified as an individual plaintiff. This is not advertised as a class action, and submitting the form does not make anyone a plaintiff or client.
The proposed legal theory would ask a federal court to review the blanket issuance pause under the Immigration and Nationality Act and the Administrative Procedure Act, and to permit accepted plaintiffs' applications to be evaluated under lawful, individualized standards without the challenged pause. The final complaint, venue, defendants, claims and requested relief will depend on the accepted plaintiff group and the governing law at filing.
| The complaint may seek | Declaratory, injunctive or APA relief appropriate to the final claims. |
|---|---|
| The complaint may seek | Lawful individualized adjudication without application of the challenged pause. |
| The complaint may seek | Plaintiff-specific relief or broader relief if legally available. |
| The complaint does not promise | Automatic visa issuance, a decision by a particular date or success for every applicant. |
| The complaint does not promise | Removal of a separate travel-ban restriction, inadmissibility finding or independent case problem. |
Existing litigationWhat courts have decided—and what remains unresolved
Sangster v. Rubio
The court granted preliminary, plaintiff-specific protection from the pause. The matter was later voluntarily dismissed, so it did not produce a final merits judgment.
Limit: the preliminary order did not invalidate the policy for every affected applicant.
CLINIC v. Rubio
A separate policy-wide challenge remains pending. It seeks review of the 75-country pause and related State Department policy.
Limit: no final judgment resolving that policy-wide case is represented here.
Engagement boundariesWhat the base engagement is designed to cover
Included for accepted participants
- Preparation and filing of the federal district-court complaint.
- Service and ordinary district-court motion practice within the group matter.
- Group preliminary-relief work if appropriate for the final action.
- Case-status communications concerning the federal matter.
Not included unless agreed in writing
- Appeals, emergency appellate stay work or Supreme Court proceedings.
- Separate consular processing, mandamus, NIE, waiver or inadmissibility representation.
- Adjustment-of-status, family-petition or employment-petition work.
- Translation, expert, filing, service and other third-party costs except as stated in the engagement.
Fee structure
A staged $2,250 attorney fee
$2,250per primary applicant or petition accepted into the federal
matter
$750 is due only after MC Law Firm accepts the matter and the client signs the written engagement.
The remaining $1,500 becomes due only after the applicant is admitted to the United States using the immigrant visa that is the subject of the active representation. If triggered, it is paid in three installments of $500 on days 30, 60 and 90 after qualifying admission.
If qualifying admission does not occur, the deferred $1,500 is not triggered.
Family rules
- Derivative spouses and children on the same primary petition/case are included without an additional attorney fee.
- Two IR5 parent applicants may be accepted under one registration and fee.
- IR/CR2 children connected to an IR1 spouse case may be included under that registration and fee.
- A petitioner or employer co-plaintiff on the same accepted petition does not create a second fee unless the written engagement expressly provides otherwise.
Refunds and additional costs
- Full refund if the firm declines representation or the proposed complaint is never filed.
- Withdrawal up to 24 hours before filing: refund less a $50 administration charge, subject to governing ethics rules.
- After filing, no contractual refund is promised; earned and unearned fees remain governed by law and the engagement.
- Court, service, translation and expert costs are separate. A discretionary individual expense over $250 requires prior written approval.
Participation processFrom preliminary review to a filed complaint
- Preliminary formProvide the minimum screening information. Do not upload documents or enter passport, A-number or full case-number data.
- Manual intake reviewThe intake team checks category, duplicate or other-lawsuit flags and basic fit.
- Attorney and conflict reviewNo form response creates automated acceptance or an attorney-client relationship.
- Written engagementOnly accepted matters receive the engagement agreement and initial invoice.
- Secure onboardingDocuments and complete identifiers are requested later through an approved secure method.
- Complaint preparationThe complaint is prepared and filed after the final plaintiff group, claims, venue and timing are established.
- Status updatesAccepted clients receive matter updates through the firm's approved communication channel. It will not be possible to obtain information through direct communication.
Responsible law firm
Federal immigration litigation led by MC Law Firm
Mustafa Cetin, Attorney at Law
MC Law Firm evaluates immigration matters involving federal agency delay, consular processing and litigation strategy. Attorney Mustafa Cetin is admitted in New Jersey, New York and the District of Columbia.
Any final representation depends on conflict review, written acceptance and a signed engagement agreement.
Frequently asked questions
Important questions before you request review
Has the MC Law federal mass action already been filed?
No. Prospective plaintiffs are being reviewed. Filing will occur only after the final plaintiff group, claims, venue and timing are established.
Is this a class action?
No. The current model is a multi-plaintiff federal complaint in which each accepted participant would be identified as an individual plaintiff. The page does not offer automatic representation of a class.
Who may fit the initial plaintiff cohort?
The strongest initial candidates are nationals of one of the 75 listed countries with a family- or employment-based immigrant-visa case in consular processing, whose interview is complete and whose case is held or refused only because of the challenged pause. Every case is reviewed individually.
Are Turkish citizens included in the 75-country policy?
Türkiye is not on the Department of State's published 75-country list. A person living in Türkiye may still be affected if the applicant is a national of a listed country.
What if I live in Turkey or my interview is in Ankara?
The published policy is based primarily on the applicant's nationality, not the country of residence or the consular post. A listed-country national processed in Ankara may therefore require review.
What if a Presidential Proclamation or separate travel ban also applies to me?
A proclamation can create a separate barrier. Removing the 75-country pause may not remove an independent travel restriction, so overlap cases require a separate legal strategy review.
What if I am a dual national or have a passport from an unlisted country?
The Department of State's published policy describes an exception for dual nationals applying with a valid passport from a country not on the list. The firm must review the actual citizenship and passport facts before reaching any conclusion.
What if my interview has not occurred yet?
Documentarily qualified or interview-scheduled applicants may be reviewed as a reserve cohort. Completed-interview, pause-only cases remain the strongest initial cohort.
Are Diversity Visa, adjustment-of-status or adoption cases included?
No. This preliminary intake is limited to family- and employment-based immigrant-visa consular processing. Those categories can involve different statutes, deadlines and litigation strategies.
What if I joined another lawsuit?
Disclose it on the form. Duplicate representation, conflicting obligations and the effect of another action must be reviewed before the firm can consider acceptance.
Does participation guarantee a visa or a decision by a certain date?
No. Participation does not guarantee filing, relief, visa issuance, admission to the United States or a decision by any particular date.
What does the $2,250 fee include?
For an accepted participant, the base engagement is designed to cover the federal district-court complaint, ordinary motion practice within the group matter, appropriate group preliminary-relief work and status communications. Appeals, separate immigration representation and third-party costs are not included unless the written agreement says otherwise.
Are my spouse and children included?
Derivative spouses and children on the same primary petition/case are included without an additional attorney fee. The family rules for separate primary applicants are described in the fee section and confirmed in the written engagement.
What happens if MC Law does not accept me or the complaint is not filed?
Submitting the form creates no payment obligation. If the firm declines representation or the proposed complaint is never filed, the stated fee policy provides a full refund of money paid under this matter, subject to the written engagement and governing law.
Should I upload or email my immigration documents now?
No. Do not place documents or complete identifiers in the public form. If the matter merits further review, the firm will provide an approved secure onboarding method.
What happens after I submit the form?
The intake team performs a manual initial review, followed when appropriate by attorney and conflict review. Only accepted matters receive a written engagement agreement and initial invoice.
Which languages are available?
The preliminary-review form is available in English, Turkish, Farsi, Arabic, Russian, Spanish, French and Portuguese. Each supported form route displays its matching localized form; the legal prospectus remains in English.
MC Law Firm is a law firm based in New Jersey, providing immigration law services throughout the United States, and operates as a general practice in New York Metropolitan area.
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