According to an article in the Immigrant Advocate, the Washington State immigration office will be reopening cases of citizenship denials under the pressure of a class action suit filed by local applicants who were denied their petition on moral character grounds.  The article claims that the lawsuit was initiated by a man whose petition was rejected because he took 33 too many oysters at a beach one day.  This close scrutiny of immigrants’ characters makes it extremely hard for permanent residents to make the transition to citizen. 

An attorney for the plaintiffs pointed out that the denials were improper because the law does not state that an individual must have perfect moral character.  He also criticized the nature of Immigration Services’ understanding of good moral character.  Rather than assess the individual from a balanced standpoint, Immigration tends to overlook good character evidence in favor of making judgments based on the mistakes an individual has made.

The article claims makes it clear that not all claims will be reopened.  Those claims that were justly denied, such as individuals convicted of drug trafficking and fraud, will be ignored in favor of individuals whose petitions were denied on the basis of one minor infraction, such as a DUI.  Those individuals who will be reassessed will have one year from the day they are notified to reapply.  The article suggests that these individuals bring in character references to support their cases.