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            Title Soltane v. U.S. Department of Justice

 

            Date 2004

            By Alito

            Subject Misc

                

 Contents

 

 

Page 1





LEXSEE 381 F3D 143


CAMPHILL SOLTANE, Appellant v. US DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE; IMMIGRATION & NATURALIZATION SERVICE


No. 03-1626


UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE THIRD CIRCUIT



381 F.3d 143; 2004 U.S. App. LEXIS 18147


December 5, 2003, Argued

August 26, 2004, Filed


PRIOR   HISTORY:             **1        ON   APPEAL   FROM THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE EASTERN  DISTRICT  OF  PENNSYLVANIA.  (Civil Action No. 02-0727). District Court Judge:  Honorable Herbert J. Hutton.


DISPOSITION: Vacated and remanded.


LexisNexis(R) Headnotes



COUNSEL:   LAWRENCE   H.   RUDNICK   (Argued), Philadelphia, PA, Counsel for Appellant.


PATRICK L. MEEHAN, LAURIE MAGID, VIRGINIA A.             GIBSON,                 SUSAN   R.             BECKER (Argued), Philadelphia, PA, Counsel for Appellee.


JUDGES:  Before:                SLOVITER  and  ALITO,  Circuit

Judges, and OBERDORFER, District Judge. *



*  The  Honorable  Louis  F.  Oberdorfer,   Senior District Judge for the District of Columbia, sitting by designation.


OPINIONBY: ALITO


OPINION:


*145   OPINION OF THE COURT


ALITO, Circuit Judge:


Camphill Soltane ("Camphill") appeals a final order of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania affirming the denial of Camphill's visa petition on behalf of an employee sought to be classified as a "special immigrant religious worker." Because that denial was predicated on legal error and improper findings of evidentiary deficiency, we vacate the judgment of the


District Court and remand this case for reconsideration by the agency.


I.


Camphill Soltane is a non-profit organization, dedi- cated to providing **2    services to young adults with mental disabilities. Rooted in "Anthroposophy" and the teachings of Rudolph Steiner, Camphill seeks to create a spiritual community through cooperative life, social in- teraction, and spiritual activity. "The Camphill Movement is focused on Christianizing the ordinary aspects of life for the mentally handicapped as well as for the fully able members of the community . . . ." Appellant Br. at 6.


Since 1996, the Chester County facility of Camphill has employed Annagret Goetze,  a citizen and native of Germany. Goetze was originally admitted into the United States in the R-1 classification as a nonimmigrant reli- gious worker. In 2000, Camphill filed an I-360 immigrant visa petition on behalf of Goetze with the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS). n1 This petition sought to have Goetze classified as a special immigrant religious worker so that she could serve in the proposed position of house-parent, music instructor, and religious instructor at the Camphill facility.


n1  The  INS  has  ceased  to  exist  as  of  March

1,  2003,  and has been replaced by the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services. We never- theless use the term INS throughout this opinion

(as do the briefs) for the sake of consistency.


**3


The Vermont Servicing Center of the INS made a re- quest for further evidence showing that Goetze had two years  of  experience  in  a  religious  occupation  and  that she  had  received  specific  religious  training.  App.  I  at

32. Camphill responded with explanations of the train- ing process and the religious nature of the position, see


381 F.3d 143, *145; 2004 U.S. App. LEXIS 18147, **3

Page 2



App. II at 59-61, as well as a set of literature (some au- thored by Steiner) that discussed Anthroposophy and the

"Camphill Movement" and was presumably submitted as representative training material. See App. II at 62-146. n2

Notwithstanding the supplemental submissions, the INS denied Camphill's petition in February 2001, finding that Camphill  had  failed  to  establish  that  Goetze  was  to  be employed in a religious occupation, as required under the regulations. App. I at 31.


n2 For example, App. II at 86 is a sheet labeled

"Study Material" listing several sources,  some of which appear to be included in the administrative record.



Camphill filed a timely appeal with the Administrative

**4    Appeals Unit. In December 2001, a final admin- istrative  decision  was  rendered  by  the  Administrative Appeals Office (AAO) of the INS. Reviewing the record de novo, the AAO affirmed on four   *146   independent grounds, any one of which alone could have justified the denial: (1) Camphill did not qualify as a religious organi- zation as required by 8 U.S.C. § 1101(a)(27)(C); (2) the proposed position of houseparent was neither a religious occupation nor a religious vocation; (3) there was insuffi- cient evidence to determine whether Goetze had worked in a religious position for two years preceding the petition; and (4) Camphill provided insufficient evidence to prove that there was a qualifying tender of a job to Goetze. Camphill  appealed  for  review  of  the  AAO  deci- sion  in  the  Eastern  District  of  Pennsylvania,  under  the Administrative Procedure Act (APA). In February 2003, the District Court entered judgment against Camphill, af- firming the AAO decision on all four grounds. This appeal

followed.


II.


As a preliminary matter, we are required to consider the issue of subject matter jurisdiction, even though nei- ther party contends that it is lacking here. See Bender v. Williamsport Area Sch. Dist.,  475 U.S. 534,  541,  89 L. Ed. 2d 501, 106 S. Ct. 1326 (1986) **5   ("Every federal appellate  court  has  a  special  obligation  to  satisfy  itself not only of its own jurisdiction, but also that of the lower courts in a cause under review, even though the parties are prepared to concede it.") (internal quotes omitted). The jurisdictional question in this case centers on 8 U.S.C. §

1252(a)(2)(B)(ii), which provides in pertinent part: Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no court shall have jurisdiction to review . . . any other decision or action of the Attorney



General the authority for which is specified under this title 8 U.S.C. §§ 1151 et seq.   to be in the discretion of the Attorney General, other  than  the  granting  of  relief  under   8

U.S.C. § 1158(a)   governing asylum .



Id.  In  this  case,  the  statutory  basis  for  Camphill's  visa request  was  8  U.S.C.  §  1153(b)(4),  which  governs  the issuance  of  preference  visas  to  "certain  special  immi- grants," including those engaged in a "religious occupa- tion or vocation," see id. § 1101(a)(27)(C)(ii). If the AAO's denial of Camphill's visa request constituted a "decision or action of the **6   Attorney General the authority for which is specified under this title to be in the discretion of the Attorney General," then under § 1251(a)(2)(B)(ii) the District Court lacked jurisdiction to review the agency action.


The key to § 1251(a)(2)(B)(ii) lies in its requirement that the discretion giving rise to the jurisdictional bar must be "specified" by statute. In other words, "the language of the statute in question must provide the discretionary authority"  before  the  bar  can  have  any  effect.  Spencer Enterprises, Inc. v. United States, 345 F.3d 683, 689 (9th Cir. 2003). For example, in Spencer Enterprises, the Ninth Circuit found no discretion specified in a statute that listed

"clear  . . . eligibility requirements" with instructions that a visa "shall" issue when those requirements are met. By contrast, in Urena-Tavarez v. Ashcroft, 367 F.3d 154 (3d Cir. 2004), we found that the statute at issue "explicitly assigned" discretion to the Attorney General, focusing on the use of specific language to that end ("discretion" and

"sole discretion"), together with instructions that certain actions "may" (as opposed to "shall") be taken when any

**7   of the enumerated conditions is satisfied. The statute at issue in this case provides:


Visas shall be made available, in a number not  to  exceed  7.1  percent  of  such  world- wide  level,  to  qualified  special  immigrants described in 8 U.S.C. § 1101(a)(27)   *147

(other than those described in subparagraph

(A)  or  (B)  thereof),   of  which  not  more than  5,000  may  be  made  available  in  any fiscal  year  to  special  immigrants  described in  subclause  (II)  or  (III)  of   8  U.S.C.  §

1101(a)(27)(C)(ii)(II) or (III) , and not more than 100 may be made available in any fis- cal  year  to  special  immigrants,  excluding spouses and children, who are described in

8 U.S.C. § 1101(a)(27)(M) .


8 U.S.C. § 1153(b)(4) (emphasis added).


381 F.3d 143, *147; 2004 U.S. App. LEXIS 18147, **7

Page 3



A "special immigrant," as that classification pertains to ministers and other religious workers, is defined as:


(C)  an  immigrant,  and  the  immigrant's spouse and children if accompanying or fol- lowing to join the immigrant, who-


(i) for at least 2 years immediately pre- ceding the time of application for admission, has  been  a  member  of  a  religious  denomi- nation having a bona **8    fide nonprofit, religious organization in the United States;


(ii) seeks to enter the United States-


(I) solely for the purpose of carrying on the  vocation  of  a  minister  of  that  religious denomination,


(II) before October 1, 2008, in order to work  for  the  organization at  the  request  of the organization in a professional capacity in a religious vocation or occupation, or


(III) before October 1, 2008, in order to work for the organization (or for a bona fide organization which is affiliated with the reli- gious denomination and is exempt from tax- ation as an organization described in section

501(c)(3)  of  the  Internal  Revenue  Code  of

1986) at the request of the organization in a religious vocation or occupation; and


(iii) has been carrying on such vocation, professional  work,  or  other  work  continu- ously for at least the 2-year period described in clause (i);


8 U.S.C. § 1101(a)(27)(C).


The language of 8 U.S.C. § 1153(b)(4) makes clear that the Attorney General is required to grant preference visas  to  those  who  fall  within  certain  numerical  limits and qualify as "special immigrants" under § 1101(a)(27). These **9   relevant numerical limits are set by statute, see  8  U.S.C.  §  1153(b)(4),  and  the  definition  of  "spe- cial immigrant" (as relevant to religious workers) is fairly detailed and specific, with no explicit reference to "discre- tion" as in Urena-Tavarez. In fact, 8 U.S.C. § 1153(b)(4) bears  some  similarity  to  the  neighboring  provision,  8

U.S.C.  §  1153(b)(5),  which  was  analyzed  in  Spencer Enterprises,  in  that  it  sets  forth  specific  eligibility  re- quirements, with instructions that the visa "shall" issue if those requirements are met. Accordingly, we do not read

§  1153(b)(4)  as  having  "specified"  that  the  granting  of the visas in question "be in the discretion of the Attorney General."



We note that the dissent in Spencer Enterprises crit- icized the majority in that case for what it believed was an overly "mechanical" approach, including reliance on the semantic distinction between "may" and "shall." See Spencer  Enterprises,  345  F.3d  at  696-98.  (Beezer,  J., dissenting). We agree that the question of whether dis- cretionary authority has been specified by statute should be  considered  by  examining   **10               the  statute  as  a whole. But we do not think (as the Spencer Enterprises dissent  goes  on  to  suggest)  that  the  use  of  marginally ambiguous  statutory  language,  without  more,  is  ade- quate  to  "specificy"  that  a  particular  action  is  within the Attorney General's discretion for the purposes of §

1252(a)(2)(B)(ii). Of course, in a *148  sense, an agency generally has "discretion" under Chevron to interpret am- biguous language used in a statute it administers. But if that sort of ubiquitous "discretion" were sufficient by itself to satisfy § 1252(a)(2)(B)(ii), the effects of that jurisdic- tional bar would be sweeping indeed. We do not believe that Congress intended such a result. n3


N3   Furthermore,  if   "discretion"   under   §

1251(a)(2)(B)(ii)  means  nothing  more  than  the

"application  of  facts  to  principles,"  see  Spencer Enterprises,  345 F.3d at 699 (Beezer, J., dissent- ing),  then  it  is  hard  to  imagine  any  action  by the Attorney General under the relevant title that would not be deemed discretionary. For example, the substantial evidence standard under which we review many immigration actions contemplates that in some cases there will be a range of acceptable outcomes among which an adjudicator might rea- sonably choose. 8 U.S.C. § 1252(b)(4)(B).


**11


For these reasons, we hold that a preference visa de- termination under § 1153(b)(4) is not a "decision or action of the Attorney General the authority for which is speci- fied under this title to be in the discretion of the Attorney General." The jurisdictional bar of § 1252(a)(2)(B)(ii) is therefore inapplicable in this case.


III.


We now turn to the merits of the appeal. Under the Administrative Procedure Act, we will reverse agency ac- tion if it is "arbitrary, capricious, or  an abuse of discre- tion," or "unsupported by substantial evidence." 5 U.S.C.

§  706;  Spencer  Enterprises,  345  F.3d  at  693.  We  de- fer to both formal and informal agency interpretations of an ambiguous regulation unless those interpretations are

"plainly  erroneous  or  inconsistent  with  the  regulation."

Bowles v. Seminole Rock & Sand Co., 325 U.S. 410, 89

L.  Ed.  1700,  65  S.  Ct.  1215  (1945);  Thomas  Jefferson


381 F.3d 143, *148; 2004 U.S. App. LEXIS 18147, **11

Page 4




University v. Shalala, 512 U.S. 504, 512, 129 L. Ed. 2d

405, 114 S. Ct. 2381 (1994); Auer v. Robbins, 519 U.S.

452, 137 L. Ed. 2d 79, 117 S. Ct. 905 (1997). n4


n4 We need not decide whether the AAO adjudi- cation in this case is best characterized as "formal" or "informal," since the outcome in terms of defer- ence is the same. See Caruso v. Blockbuster-Sony Music  Entertainment  Centre,  193  F.3d  730,  733

(3rd Cir. 1999); Scott H. Angstreich, Shoring Up Chevron:  A Defense of Seminole Rock Deference to  Agency  Regulatory  Interpretations,   34  U.C. Davis  L.  Rev.  49,  56  (2000)  ("An  interpretation of a regulation in a format lacking the force of law warrants Chevron-style deference, but such an in- terpretation of a statute does not."); Note, 114 Harv. L. Rev. 359,  377-78 (2000) ("The Auer Court . .

.  held  that  agencies  can  issue  authoritative  inter- pretations of their own ambiguous regulations out- side the procedural  strictures of the APA ."); cf. United States v. Mead Corp., 533 U.S. 218, 227-

29, 150 L. Ed. 2d 292 (2001) (agency's informal in- terpretation of a statutory ambiguity does not merit Chevron deference).


**12


A.


We first consider the question whether Camphill qual- ifies as a "religious organization" under § 1101(a)(27)(C). The associated regulation at 8 C.F.R. § 204.5(m)(3) man- dates that petitioners prove eligibility for tax-exempt sta- tus under "section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 as it relates to religious organizations." Id. The AAO held that "only organizations classified, or classi- fiable,  as  'churches'  .  .  .  are  qualifying  religious  orga- nizations for the purpose of special immigrant religious worker classification." App. I at 25.


The  government  later  informed  the  Court  that  "the agency   was   in  the  process  of  issuing  a  memorandum that . . . broadens its interpretation of when an organiza- tion may qualify as a 'bona fide religious organization,'" and that it therefore desired to withdraw its argument that

*149    Camphill  had  not  qualified  for  the  special  im- migration visa on the ground that it was not a "church." Appellee Letter Br. at 1. n5 We accept this concession, and therefore proceed under the assumption that Camphill qualifies as a "religious organization."


n5  See  William  R.  Yates,  U.S.  Citizenship and                            Immigration                             Services,                 Extension of             the           Special     Immigrant               Religious Worker                   Program  and                           Clarification                            of             Tax



Exempt    Status     Requirements        for            Religious Organizations  (December  17,  2003),  available  at http://www.ilw.com/lawyers/immigdaily/doj_news/2004,0113- religiouswker.pdf.


**13


B.


We next consider whether the AAO decision can be af- firmed on the ground that the proposed position of house- parent  is  not  a  "religious  occupation."  n6  This  term  is defined by regulation as follows:


Religious   occupation   means   an   activity which relates to a traditional religious func- tion.  Examples  of  individuals  in  religious occupations include, but are not limited to, liturgical workers, religious instructors, reli- gious counselors, cantors, catechists, work- ers in religious hospitals or religious health care facilities, missionaries, religious trans- lators, or religious broadcasters. This group does not include janitors, maintenance work- ers,  clerks,  fund  raisers,  or  persons  solely involved in the solicitation of donations.


8 C.F.R. § 204.5(m)(2) (emphasis added). The AAO found that the "duties of the position of houseparent  involve the care of the mentally handicapped," and that "such du- ties are considered a wholly secular function, even if the facility is operated by a charitable organization founded on religious principles." App. I at 26. The AAO further explained that "the service interprets the pertinent regula- tions to require that such positions **14  are traditionally full-time salaried positions requiring specific religious or theological training," and that Camphill had failed to show that the position of houseparent satisfied this definition. Id. On appeal, Camphill argues that the INS erred in in- terpreting § 204.5(m)(2) in a manner that excluded the position in which Goetze was to serve.


n6 Camphill originally argued that Goetze's po- sition also constituted a "religious vocation," as that term is defined in 8 C.F.R. § 204.5(m)(2). The AAO rejected that position, and Camphill does not appear to  challenge  that  determination  on  appeal.  Aside from a passing reference to the "religious vocation" term in its brief, Camphill's argument is centered entirely on the meaning of the term "religious oc- cupation." See Appellant Br. at 23-28;  Appellant Reply Br. at 8-15.



We agree with Camphill that the AAO improperly ap-


381 F.3d 143, *149; 2004 U.S. App. LEXIS 18147, **14

Page 5




plied the regulation in this case. The characterization of

Goetze's position as not "relating to a traditional religious

**15    function" suggests that the conclusion was pre- determined. The AAO first described what Goetze did in terms  that  excluded  any  mention  of  the  religious  com- ponent of her duties--saying that her job was to care for the mentally handicapped--and then concluded that she was performing a secular function because its own char- acterization of what she was doing was secular. The same approach  could  be  used  as  a  basis  for  concluding  that most  of  the  positions  explicitly  listed  in  the  regulation are secular. For example, § 204.5(m)(2) mentions "reli- gious translators," who might be described as performing the function of translation, a "secular" activity. Similarly,

"religious counselors" perform the function of counseling troubled individuals, which could also be characterized as secular. Accordingly, we believe the AAO's analytic ap- proach is inconsistent with the text of the regulation.


*150    We note that the regulation specifically ex- cludes certain workers,  such as "janitors" and "mainte- nance workers," who perform wholly secular functions, but  this  does  not  mean  that  a  person  cannot  qualify  as having  a  "religious  occupation"  if  the  worker's  job  in- cludes both secular and religious aspects.   **16   In this vein, we note that the commentary accompanying the pro- mulgation of § 204.5(m)(2) provides that "if a  job has no religious significance, then the fact that a person is a member of a religious denomination working in a facility run by the denomination would not by itself make that person a religious worker." 56 Fed. Reg. 66965 (Dec. 27,

1991) (emphasis added). We take this language as sug- gesting that a job may qualify under the regulation if it has some religious significance. To the extent that the AAO read § 204.5(m)(2) as requiring that a "religious occupa- tion" involve only religious functions, we believe that its interpretation is inconsistent with the text of the regula- tion  and  other  indications  of  the  agency's  intent  and  is accordingly not entitled to deference. Thomas Jefferson,

512 U.S. at 512.


Alternatively, if the AAO's decision is read as find- ing that the position of houseparent involved only secu- lar functions,  we do not find that conclusion supported by substantial evidence of record. Camphill consistently testified  that  Goetze's  position  involved  a  number  of clearly religious responsibilities, including "imbuing res- idents **17   with the religious values and practices of Camphill ;  conducting house-based activities, including practical chores,  prayer,  festival celebrations and Bible readings ;   instructing  other  staff  in  the  practices  and Christian  values  of  Camphill  life ;   and   teaching  re- ligious  subjects  and  values  to  mentally  retarded  young adults."  App.  I  at  35.  Moreover,  the  religious  texts  in- cluded in the administrative record, including transcripts



from a series of lectures entitled "Curative Education," App.  II  at  62-85,  appear  to  provide  some  support  for Camphill's contention that even the prescribed manner of care for its mentally handicapped residents involved re- ligious aspects. The AAO did not analyze or otherwise engage this evidence, but rather stated perfunctorily that Goetze's duties are "wholly secular." There is little or no support in the record for that claim.


Finally,  we  consider  the  AAO's  position  that  a  "re- ligious  occupation"  must  be  a  "traditionally  full-time salaried position  requiring specific religious or theologi- cal training." This interpretation is similarly questionable. The requirement that the position be "salaried" appears to be inconsistent with the list of **18   religious occupa- tions given in the regulation itself, which includes posi- tions--perhaps most notably "missionaries"--who do not always receive salaries. We further note that in promul- gating the final rules at issue, the agency explicitly stated that they had been "revised to account more clearly for un- compensated volunteers, whose services are engaged but who are not technically employees." 56 Fed. Reg. 66965

(Dec. 27, 1991) (emphasis added).


With respect to the "full-time" and "religious or the- ological  training"  requirements,  assuming  for  the  sake of argument that such requirements are consistent with the regulation, we see no evidence that the position of- fered by Camphill would not qualify. Camphill indicated to  the  agency  that  Goetze's  responsibilities  required  at least 80 hours of labor per week, see App. I at 35, and that she would be working "full-time," without "supplemental employment." Id. at 36. Camphill also submitted detailed descriptions  of  its  training  process,  see  App.  II  at  59-

61, as well as extensive excerpts from its religious texts in response to the agency's request for   *151    training curriculum. See App. I at 32; App. II at 62-146. Again,

**19   there is no suggestion in the AAO's opinion that this evidence was ever considered--only the bald asser- tion  that  Camphill  had  "not  shown  that  the  position  of houseparent is traditionally a permanent salaried position or that the duties of the position require specific religious training." App. I at 26. This is insufficient to constitute substantial evidence in support of the AAO's conclusion. We need not set forth here a definitive test regarding when a job may or may not be characterized as a "religious occupation." However, we think it clear that the AAO has failed to show why the position offered by Camphill to Goetze  in  this  case  does  not  qualify.  Accordingly,  we cannot sustain the decision of the AAO on this ground

without further evidence or explanation.


C.


The other two reasons underlying the AAO's denial


381 F.3d 143, *151; 2004 U.S. App. LEXIS 18147, **19

Page 6



of Camphill's visa application had to do with purported evidentiary deficiencies. Specifically, the AAO held that Camphill had not proven that Goetze had two years of continuous experience in the relevant occupation, see 8

C.F.R.  §  204.5(m)(1),  nor  had  it  proven  that  a  "quali- fying job offer" had been tendered to Goetze,  see id. §

204.5(m)(4).   **20


It is true that Camphill did no more than submit a let- ter explaining (among other things) that Goetze had been employed by Camphill for four years, see App. II at 35, and that she would continue to receive room, board, med- ical  insurance,  etc.,  as  compensation  for  her  work,  see App. II at 36. On the other hand, the AAO decision does not  explain  in  any  reasonable  detail  why  this  evidence was insufficient. The AAO simply states that "support- ing documentary evidence" should have been submitted, and cites Matter of Treasure Craft of California, 14 I. & N. Dec. 190 (Reg. Comm. 1972), for the proposition that the petitioner  in visa proceedings  bears the evidentiary burden of proof.


Of course, there is no doubt that Camphill bore the burden of proof in this case; again, the critical question is why the letter presented by Camphill was insufficient to sustain that burden. In this respect, Treasure Craft is easily distinguished from this case. There, the petitioner went on record as declaring that competent training in the pot- tery industry was not available in Mexico. The Regional Commissioner deciding the case took administrative no- tice of the fact that Mexico **21   had a thriving pottery trade, and accordingly held that the assertions by the pe- titioner were insufficient to sustain the burden of proof. Here, by contrast, there was no similar administrative no- tice opposing Camphill's documentation to the effect that Goetze did indeed undergo significant religious training, was employed by Camphill for two years, and had been extended a job offer.


"An  agency's  rejection  of  uncontradicted  testimony can support a finding of substantial evidence." Tieniber v. Heckler, 720 F.2d 1251, 1254 (11th Cir. 1983); see also NLRB v. Walton Mfg. Co., 369 U.S. 404, 408, 7 L. Ed. 2d

829, 82 S. Ct. 853 (1962). However, an agency is generally under at least a minimal obligation to provide adequate reasons explaining why it has rejected uncontradicted ev- idence. See Richard J. Pierce, Jr., 2 Administrative Law Treatise § 11.2 at 791 (2002). For example, if the AAO ruling was based on a determination that Camphill's as- sertions were not credible, then there should have been some sort of finding regarding credibility, either explicit or  implicit.  See  Tieniber  v.  Heckler,  720  F.2d  at  1254




(describing "strict" and "lenient" approaches **22    by

*152   courts); see also Choratch v. Finch, 438 F.2d 342,

343 (3d Cir. 1971) ("We think it is not too much to re- quire  that  an  administrative  decision  that  a  claimant  is not eligible . . . be supported by explicit findings of all facts that are essential to the conclusion of ineligibility."). The AAO makes no effort to explain or suggest why it rejected Camphill's detailed letter explaining the nature of Goetze's position.


Furthermore,  Camphill  notes  that  INS  regulations place an obligation on the part of the INS to request ad- ditional evidence if that which was already submitted is deemed insufficient. See 8 C.F.R. § 103.2(b)(8) ("where there is no evidence of ineligibility, and initial evidence or eligibility information is missing or the Service finds that the evidence submitted either does not fully establish eligibility for the requested benefit or raises underlying questions regarding eligibility, the Service shall request the missing initial evidence") (emphasis added). n7 The INS does not provide any explanation, either in the AAO ruling or in its brief on appeal, as to why this regulation would be inapplicable in this case.


n7 For example,  although the AAO mentions that Camphill might have submitted Goetze's tax documents  to  show  that  she  had  been  employed full-time by Camphill without engaging in supple- mental employment, see App. I at 27, it is clear that the initial request for additional evidence issued by the INS, while it demanded several items of infor- mation from Camphill, did not make any demand for tax documents. App. I at 32.


**23


Because the AAO's rejection of the evidence regarding Goetze's work experience and job offer does not appear to be supported by substantial evidence, we conclude that the AAO decision may not be sustained on these grounds without further evidence or explanation.


IV.


None of the arguments advanced by the AAO in sup- port of the visa denial withstand scrutiny on appeal. The AAO clearly did not "consider  all relevant evidentiary  factors" in this case, Florida Power & Light Co. v. Lorion,

470  U.S.  729,  744,  84  L.  Ed.  2d  643,  105  S.  Ct.  1598

(1985), nor did it properly interpret its regulation defining

"religious occupation." The "proper course" is therefore to "remand to the agency for additional investigation or explanation." Id.



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