Discussion Points for Punto Legal- March 30, 2016

1.) Let’s take a look at new immigration statistics. The I-601A provisional or stateside waiver has been a godsend to immigrants who are married to United States citizens and who have to return to their country of origin to fix their papers. During the first three months of 2016, the immigration service decided 11,158 I-601A waivers and approved 82% of them. In the same period, over 60,000 DREAMer applications were decided. The approval rate for the DREAMer applications was 93%.

U-Visas are 4-year visas for victims of domestic violence and other qualifying crimes. In the first three months of 2016, 16,337 U-Visas were decided. The approval rate for the U-Visa petitions was 98%.

But, there is a growing problem with U-Visas. There are 109,000 U-Visas pending review at the Vermont Service Center. Only 10,000 actual U-Visas can be issued each year. So when a new U-Visa looks good, there is no quota number to give out. These applicants are given something call deferred action. With deferred action, you can get work authorization, but no status. These large numbers mean that U-Visa processing is getting slower and slower. Obviously, the quota number for U-Visas will have to be increased, but it won’t happen in this election year.

Nevertheless, if you qualify for a U visa, you apply as soon as you can because you will be protected from deportation if you have filed a U-Visa.

2.) Immigration law has 70 castigos or bars to entry. These bars to entry will blow up your immigration case at the worst possible time-at the end of the case-after you have paid your filing fees and paid your attorney. To help you know and understand the most common bars to entry, watch the short video on our website, www.tedhess.com. There is one in Spanish and one in English.