A Cameroonian national attempting to ward off deportation encountered a significant blow when a federal appeals court denied his request that removal charges related to his nearly 30-year-old conviction of marriage fraud be forgiven.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit on Thursday denied Gordon Ndok Tima’s request for a waiver of the government’s arguments for deporting him. The government claims Tima was inadmissible for entry into the United States because he used fraudulent tactics to gain admission.