NRI PULSE STAFF REPORT
Burlington, VT, May 15, 2025: U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) assisted in a federal investigation that led to the conviction of Nasir Hussain, an Indian citizen, for submitting false information on an immigration application.
According to a news release by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont, Hussain was found guilty of making a false statement of material fact in connection with an I-360 Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) self-petition. He was sentenced to time-served immediately following the trial.
Court documents and trial evidence revealed that in October 2021, Hussain traveled to Connecticut to enter into what authorities described as a sham marriage with a U.S. citizen. Prosecutors stated that the two individuals did not know each other prior to the ceremony and never had contact afterward.
Hussain submitted the manufactured evidence and medical records to USCIS in support of an I-360 VAWA self-petition, claiming he was the spouse of an abusive U.S. citizen with whom he had been living in an Orlando apartment. Evidence at trial, including testimony of his “wife” and former roommates, established beyond a reasonable doubt that Hussain’s “wife” never lived in Florida, and therefore could never have abused him as he alleged. Had Hussain’s immigration petition been successful, he would have been awarded a VAWA visa and potentially lawful permanent residence status in the United States.
Hussain had been in federal custody since his arrest in May 2023 in connection with a separate wire fraud conspiracy charge. Although a jury returned a guilty verdict in that case in October 2024, the court later issued a judgment of acquittal. The U.S. government has appealed that decision.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation led the investigation, with support from USCIS.
