30 years of experience in immigration writing in one presentation

1. “Language is the Skin of the Soul” --
Positive Immigration Messaging that
Achieves Results
Angelo A. Paparelli, Esq.
Managing Partner,
Paparelli & Partners LLP,
Irvine, CA and New York, NY
www.entertheusa.com
949-955-5555
“Language is the Skin of the Soul”
- Fernando Lázaro Carreter

2. Write to Persuade
Know Your Audience
Introduce Your Purpose
Use an Explicit Structure
Follow a Logical Sequence
Offer Small, Easily Digested
Pieces of Information
“Writing is a way of talking without being interrupted.”
– Jules Renard

3. Write for Clarity
Explain grounds of eligibility using
basic language
Cover officer’s internal checklist
Put claim in perspective and context
“Clarity. Clarity. Clarity.
When you become hopelessly mired in a sentence, it is best to start fresh.quot;
- Strunk & White

4. Write for Clarity
Start from the beginning
Don’t assume knowledge of your
institution’s lexicon
Example:
CalTech is not a University
Penn State is a private institution
“The secret of becoming a writer is to write, write and keep on writing.”
– Ken MacLeod

5. Write for Impact
Get them to feel and think
Dear Consular Officer,
I hope you are well and enjoying the challenges that come with the
territory. I’m writing you to provide a quality assurance
opportunity and a chance to help in facilitating true love (which,
as Shakespeare wrote, is often turbulent [“The course of true love
never did run smooth.” – Lysander, A Midsummer Night’s Dream]).
The prolonged delay in security clearance has prevented this
spouse from obtaining a visa. The couple is heartbroken over the
long separation. Maybe I’m old-fashioned, but a broken heart to
me seems an emergency.
Regards,
Angelo A. Paparelli

6. Immigration Writing Tips
Write more like National Geographic than
the Harvard Law Review
“My most important piece of advice to all you would-be writers when you write, try to
leave out all the parts readers skip.quot;
– Elmore Leonard

7. Immigration Writing Tips
Know Your Purpose
Think like Steven Covey –
“Begin with the end in mind”
Know in advance what you’re
trying to accomplish
quot;I always know the ending; that’s where I start.quot;
- Toni Morrison

8. Immigration Writing Tips
Brainstorm before you
compose by free
associating all of your
thoughts and putting
them down in paper
or digital form
“[Writing] begins as a private excitement of the mind.quot;
- E. L. Doctorow

9. Immigration Writing Tips
Grab the reader’s attention,
Briefly say what you want (the “ask”),
Jump in with proof of eligibility,
Summarize, and
Restate the “ask” at the end.
ASK EXPLAIN SUMMARIZE ASK
“Writing is long periods of thinking and short periods of writing.”
- Ernest Hemingway

10. Immigration Writing Tips
Write in easily digested chunks with
captions, bullets and numbered points
aplenty
“I'm not a very good writer, but I'm an excellent rewriter.”
- James Michener

11. Immigration Writing Tips
Structure your paragraphs logically and
persuasively:
Use short, simple sentences
Begin with a topic sentence
Sequencing length and format of later
sentences
“Stitch” paragraphs with connecting words or
phrases
End with emphasis
“Write while the heat is in you. The writer who postpones the recording of [her]
thoughts uses an iron which has cooled to burn a hole with.”
- Henry David Thoreau

12. Immigration Writing Tips
Persuade with
visuals
“One picture is worth ten thousand words.”
- Chinese proverb

13. Immigration Writing Tips
Enliven your writing with
action verbs
Use the active voice rather
than stupefying your reader
with the passive voice
Example: “Flicka jumped over
the gates” rather than “the
gates were jumped over by
Flicka”
“Don't say the old lady screamed. Bring her on and let her scream.”
- Mark Twain

14. Immigration Writing Tips
Vary your sentence length and
structure
Delete unnecessary words
Don’t repeat yourself, unless for
emphasis
“I love revision. Where else can spilled milk be turned into ice cream?”
- Katherine Patterson

15. Immigration Writing Tips
Don’t use too many adverbs (using
words like “clearly” or “obviously” will
generally weaken your argument)
Use parentheses to enclose
subordinate or distinct thoughts
Place modifiers near the word to be
modified
quot;Confident writers have the courage to speak plainly;
to let their thoughts shine rather than their vocabulary.quot;
-Ralph Keyes

16. Immigration Writing Tips
Do not abbreviate a possessive
NO: “the Department of State’s (“DOS”)”
regulation
YES: “the regulation of the Department of
State (“DOS”)”
Encircle phrases appropriately, e.g., with
parentheses or commas (always in pairs)
“There is nothing more useful and splendid than a dictionary
as a plaything for children five years and older, [and] for good writers up to their hundredth year.”
- Gabriel García Márquez

17. Immigration Writing Tips
Don’t Use Instead Use
Have Maintains
Possesses
Retains
Enjoys
Has achieved
Have to Should
Need to Must
You don't write because you want to say something, you write because you've
got something to say.
- F. Scott Fitzgerald

18. Immigration Writing Tips
PROOFREAD
With your eyes not just with your spellchecker
quot;Proofread carefully to see if you any words out.”
- Author Unknown

19. Immigration Writing Tips
EDIT, EDIT, EDIT
Wait a while – then EDIT AGAIN
quot;The best writing is rewriting.quot;
- E.B. White

20. Immigration Writing Resources
Send an email requesting a list of Angelo’s
writing resources to aap@entertheusa.com
“My aim is to put down on paper what I see and what I feel
in the best and simplest way.
- Ernest Hemingway

21. The Petition
SUPPORTING
COVER LETTER USCIS FORMS
DOCUMENTS
I didn't have time to write a short letter, so I wrote a long one instead.
-- Mark Twain

22. Introduce Your Institution
“Caltech, formally referred to
as the California Institute of
Technology, is submitting this
petition on behalf of...”
Briefly highlight the
distinguished nature of your
institution – this will add to the
credibility of your petition
“Easy reading is damn hard writing.”
- Nathaniel Hawthorne

23. The Petition – Cover Letter
“As described in detail below,
Dr. Smith’s track record of
achievements has been
recognized and acclaimed by
leading authorities worldwide.”
Introduce your purpose
Be modest in presenting the
beneficiary’s outstanding
qualifications – examiners
generally appreciate this
approach
“I love being a writer. What I can't stand is the paperwork.”
-Peter De Vries

24. The Petition – Cover Letter
Use Organized, Small
Pieces of Information
Include table of supporting letter
writers with:
1. Writer’s Name
2. Professional Qualifications
3. Compelling Quotes from Letter
“Believe one who has proved it. Believe an expert”
- Virgil

25. The Petition – Cover Letter
Cover the Adjudicator’s
Checklist
8 C.F.R. §204.5(i)(3)(i)(D)
8 C.F.R. §204.5(i)(3)(i)(B)
8 C.F.R. §204.5(i)(3)(i)(A)
“The skill of writing
is to create a context in which other people can think.”
- Edwin Schlossbe

26. The Petition – USCIS Forms
Never leave an answer blank –
use “N/A” or “None”
Toronto Ontario
Canada None
“ ‘[F]alsely make’ means to prepare . . . an application or document . . . in reckless disregard of the
fact that [it] . . . fails to state a fact which is material to the purpose for which it was submitted.”
- Immigration and Nationality Act § 274C(f)

27. The Petition – USCIS Forms
Give a short answer and use
“See Attached”
Project Manager
2 2 2 2 2 2
Responsible for researching new scientific developments in Environmental and
Natural Resources. Please see attached Petitioner’s letter of support for additional job
description.
“Incorporate by reference v. to include language from another document or elsewhere in a document
by reference rather than repeat it.”
- Defined in www.thefreedictionary.com

28. The Petition – USCIS Forms
Never sign a petition unless you are
sure the information is correct and all
questions are answered
“Look before you leap.”
- Aesop

29. The Petition –
Supporting Evidence
Explain each
document’s
relevance
Use tabs to
organize
documents
referenced
in index
“What is written without effort is read without pleasure”
- Samuel Johnson

30. Immigration Messaging
Internal & External Communications Should
Offer Positive Messages:
“Reading [and writing] make . . . immigrants of us all [and] take us away from home,
but, most important, [they] find . . . homes for us everywhere.”
- Hazel Rochman

31. Immigration Branding
Do Your Corporate Clients
Communicate Clearly the Importance
of Supporting Immigration Law
Sponsorship to Current & New
Employees?
How Do You Communicate the
Message?
How Can You Improve the Message?
“Everywhere immigrants have enriched and strengthened the fabric of American life.”
- John F. Kennedy

32. Questions?