About a year ago, we posted about the I-601 Hardship Waiver. In that post, we described the biggest problem with the waiver -- that the applicant is not allowed to request the waiver until he or she has already departed the United States. This often causes long family absences while the applicant waits abroad, hoping that their waiver will be approved so that they can rejoin their family in the United States. Moreover, if the waiver is denied, the applicant would be unable to re-enter the country at all. That problem may soon be greatly alleviated.

Earlier this month, the final rule for a "provisional waiver" process was published by the Department of Homeland Security. The rule will take effect March 4, 2013. The provisional waiver process will allow certain applicants to request a waiver while they remain in the United States in order to prevent the need for prolonged separation from their families and to avoid the uncertainty of leaving the United States with no guarantee that they would be allowed to re-enter. Only spouses, parents, or children (17 years or older) of United States citizens are eligible for a provisional waiver. The normal requirements for approval of an I-601 hardship waiver remain as well. If approved, they will then still need to depart the United States to apply for their visa, but the process will be much quicker, and with much less uncertainty than before.

Anderson Immigration Law can help determine whether you are eligible for the new provisional waiver, guide you through the process, and prepare your waiver application for a flat fee. To speak to us about your immigration options, please contact us immediately.

So you are an undocumented immigrant, but you just married a U.S. citizen? Congratulations to the both of you! You are probably wondering how you can now acquire a legal immigration status. First, the (sometimes very) bad news.Entonces no tienes papeles, pero te casaste con un ciudadano americano. ¡Felicitaciones a los dos! Probablemente estás curioso como puedes obtener un estatus legal. Bueno, primero las noticias malas.

La Mala Noticia

Si un inmigrante vive en los Estados Unidos sin un estatus legal (por entrar sin permiso o por pasar del tiempo permitido) él o ella llega a acumular lo que la ley llama “presencia ilegal.” Presencia ilegal a veces causa problemas si acumula 6 meses de ella. Si después de eso uno sale del pais voluntariamente, no podrá entrar de nuevo por 3 años, si no tenga permiso especial. Si acumula un año de presencia illegal, no podrá entrar de nuevo por 10 años, sin el mismo permiso especial. Desafortunadamente, para conseguir una visa después de acumular presencia ilegal, tiene que salir del pais para asistir a su entrevista en el consulado o embajada Americana en su país. Esto empieza la barrera de 3 o 10 años.

Como tienes esposa ciudadana, te vas a sacar una entrevista de visa sin esperar. Otras categorías de familiares tienen que esperar años. Pero de toda manera cuando el official del consulado te entrevista te va a declarar inadmisible por causa de tu presencia ilegal en los Estados Unidos.

La Buena Noticia

La buena noticia es que algunos inmigrantes si consiguen el permiso especial para entrar de nuevo, lo cual se llama un perdón. Para conseguir el perdón, tienen que demostrar que negar entrada a los Estados Unidos causará “dificultad extrema” a su esposa o padre, quien sea un ciudadano Americano o residente permanente. “Dificultad extrema” no tiene una definición exacta, pero tiene que ser dificultad que es peor que lo esperado para cualquier esposo tipico que no puede volver a casa.

Un Posible Cambio

Actualmente tiene que asistir a su entrevista de visa en el consulado o embajada americana en su país antes de pedir el perdón. Este requisito ha desanimado a mucha gente de intentar para el perdón. Pero ésta semana el gobierno ha propuesto un cambio de regla que permitiría a los esposos y padres de cuidadanos que apliquen para el perdón sin salir del país. Esta posible regla ayudaría mucho a inmigrantes interesados en el perdón, pero quienes no quieren esperar afuera del país mientras procesan el perdón.

Anderson Immigration Law puede ayudarle en determinar si usted es eligible para éste perdon. Y después guiarle por el proceso y preparar su aplicación por una tarifa fija. Para hablarnos de sus opciones inmigratorias, contacténos de inmediato.

The Bad News

If an immigrant lives in the United States without a legal immigration status (either by entering without permission or merely overstaying a visa) he or she begins to acquire what the law calls “unlawful presence.” Unlawful presence often causes problems because if you acquire 6 months of it, and then voluntarily leave the country, you will not allowed to enter again for 3 years – not without special permission. If you acquire one year of unlawful presence, you are barred from re-entering for 10 years – again, without special permission. Unfortunately, in order for you to obtain a visa after accruing unlawful presence, you will have to leave the country to attend a visa interview at the U.S. consulate or embassy in your home country. This triggers the 3 or 10 year bar.

Since you have a U.S. citizen spouse, you go to the front of the line when it comes to getting such a visa interview. Other categories of relatives must wait long periods for this. However the consular officer who interviews you will find you inadmissible because of your previous unlawful presence in the United States.

The Good News

The good news is that some immigrants do get special permission to reenter, which is known as a waiver. In order to be granted the waiver, they must show that being refused permission to enter the country at this time would result in “extreme hardship” to a U.S. citizen or green-card holding spouse (or parent). “Extreme hardship” doesn’t have an exact definition, but it must be worse than the hardship to the U.S. citizen spouse that would be normally expected when their spouse cannot return home.

A Possible Change

Currently you have to attend your visa interview at the U.S. consulate or embassy in your home country before applying for a waiver. This requirement discourages many people from attempting the waiver process. However, this week a rule change was proposed by the government which would allow the spouses or parents of U.S. citizens to apply for this waiver of inadmissibility due to unlawful presence from within the United States! The new rule could be extremely helpful to immigrants interested in the waiver, but who are unable or unwilling to spend much time away from their home and family while the waiver is being processed.

Anderson Immigration Law can help determine whether you are eligible for this waiver, guide you through the process, and prepare your waiver application for a flat fee. To speak to us about your immigration options, please contact us immediately.