Mandamus against the State Department — will filing a lawsuit affect getting citizenship?

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1

I’m thinking of filing a mandamus against the State Department because of a visa delay, but I’ve heard that it’s better not to go to federal court. People say it could somehow affect things later when applying for citizenship. Does it really work that way? Has anyone filed a lawsuit and then gone through naturalization — was it a problem?

Detailed breakdown of the topic: Mandamus for visas and Congress: what really works

2

Mandamus is a lawsuit for inaction, not a claim against specific officers — it doesn’t affect naturalization at all. A friend of mine filed a mandamus when AP (administrative processing) dragged on for 14 months; five years later she smoothly obtained citizenship, and no one even remembered it. If the State Department really needs more time, they’ll just request an extension, not deny because of a lawsuit.

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