Fernandez-Granada v. Immigration & Naturalization Service

**Fernandez-Granada v. Immigration & Naturalization Service: Court Ruling Summary** **What Happened:** Fernandez-Granada worked for the Immigration & Naturalization Service and had applied to adjust his immigration status (likely to become a permanent resident). When his application was denied, he wanted to ask the immigration authorities to reopen his case and reconsider their decision. However, he filed this request more than 90 days after receiving the final rejection. **What the Court Decided:** The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against Fernandez-Granada. The court found that immigration officials were right to reject his request because he missed the 90-day deadline for asking them to reconsider. The court said the immigration board did not abuse their authority in enforcing this time limit. **Why This Matters for Workers:** This case highlights the importance of strict deadlines in immigration matters, even for government employees. Workers dealing with immigration status issues must pay careful attention to filing deadlines, as courts generally will not excuse late filings even when the person works for the government agency involved. Missing these deadlines can permanently close off options for challenging negative decisions about work authorization or permanent residency applications.