Obama Administration to Begin New I-601A Provisional Waiver Program, Promote Family Unity for Immigrants in the U.S.

The Obama Administration has announced that, beginning March 4, 2013, certain undocumented immigrants who want to apply for green cards but are are disqualified because of their unlawful presence in the U.S. can now take advantage of the new stateside “provisional waiver” process.

This is a terrific development for our clients with U.S. citizen immediate relatives, because applicants under the old procedure were forced to wait outside the U.S.for months or even years while USCIS considered the waiver application. This new “I-601A” procedure allows non-citizens to apply for their extreme hardship waiver here in the United States, and then attend their immigrant visa interview in their home country.

The new process is a critical step forward by the Obama Administration on immigration reform while partisan gridlock prevails in Congress. Moreover, applicants under the provisional waiver program who have received Deferred Action will be able to continue with their deferred action work permits while their I-601A waiver applications are pending.

Click here for information to see how you can apply for the I-601A provisional waiver program. Our Bay Area Offices in San Francisco and San Jose are ready to assist.