Help.....need clarification on the following

Wendy-Margaret

Registered Users (C)
Is it true that you can only adjust status if you fall under sction 245i? I thought that as long as they had reached your priority date it was then you filed for adjustment of status as you were already in the country.

I've been waiting almost 11-12 yrs on a petition filed by my Sister a citizen, and now that our PD is finally approaching someone said that we could neither do Consular Processing or adjustment of status....Is this true???

if so, what other alternative would we now have?
 
You need to be present LEGALLY in the country to adjust based on a petition by someone other than an Immediate Relative. This is not your case.

The only exception is 245(i) which you said you guys are not covered by.

So, you can not adjust your status in the USA. And if you leave back to your home country you will have to serve a 10 year ban before you can return.
 
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Is it true that you can only adjust status if you fall under sction 245i? I thought that as long as they had reached your priority date it was then you filed for adjustment of status as you were already in the country.

I've been waiting almost 11-12 yrs on a petition filed by my Sister a citizen, and now that our PD is finally approaching someone said that we could neither do Consular Processing or adjustment of status....Is this true???

if so, what other alternative would we now have?
Full story, please.
 
Full story as requested:

My sister, a USA citizen filed for my family & I in 1997, but the date INS uses as PD is June 1998. We entered USA many times over the years since the 70's using renewable 10yr visas for travel from our country. In 2001 when we made another trip here and spoke with an immigration lawyer he told us that we could stay and continue the process from here. After all this time of waiting on PD to become available, now that it is finally approaching and we thought we would simply send in adjustment of status, folk are now saying that it only applies to those under 245i. We entered legally with visas so now we are told that 245i would not apply to us, nor consular processing as we are no longer out of the country.....guess now we have to find another lawyer to help tell us what to do, hopefully he won't rob us as the last one did and I did not get my work permit because the priority date was not available as yet, which I am sure he knew. Any suggestions by anyone???
 
In 2001 when we made another trip here and spoke with an immigration lawyer he told us that we could stay and continue the process from here.

Probably someone with a poor understanding of 245i, who understood the priority date part but not the physical presence requirement.

We entered legally with visas so now we are told that 245i would not apply to us,

245i applies to people who entered legally, but the problem is that it only applies to people who were physically present in the US on 12/22/2000. Had you entered earlier, you would have been OK.

guess now we have to find another lawyer to help tell us what to do, hopefully he won't rob us as the last one did and I did not get my work permit because the priority date was not available as yet, which I am sure he knew. Any suggestions by anyone???

You should talk to our host, Rajiv. I am unsure if he will have any good news to tell you, but he is the expert, not I.
 
That's too bad that the immigration lawyers you talked to unfortunately screwed up your case.
Since you aren't eligible to 245(i), you can't do AOS under overstaying.
For consular process, the issue is since you have been overstaying for long time, 10 year entry bar will kick in so that virtually impossible to get consular process through.

only chance is getting waiver, but it's not easy or hoping for some amnesty something like this.


http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c111:H.R.264.IH:

Section 501 from recent house bill HR264.

`ADJUSTMENT OF STATUS ON THE BASIS OF EARNED ACCESS TO LEGALIZATION

`Sec. 245B. (a) In General- The Secretary of Homeland Security may adjust the status of an alien to that of an alien lawfully admitted for permanent residence if the alien--

`(1) was physically present in the United States for a continuous period of not less than 5 years immediately preceding the date on which this provision was enacted and has maintained continuous physical presence since then;

`(2) has at all times been a person of good moral character;

`(3) has never been convicted of a criminal offense in the United States;

`(4) in the case of an alien who is 18 years of age or older, but who is not over the age of 65, has successfully completed a course on reading, writing, and speaking words in ordinary usage in the English language, unless unable to do so on account of physical or developmental disability or mental impairment;

`(5) in the case of an alien 18 years of age or older, has accepted the values and cultural life of the United States; and

`(6) in the case of an alien 18 years of age or older, has performed at least 40 hours of community service.

`(b) Treatment of Brief, Casual, and Innocent Absences- An alien shall not be considered to have failed to maintain a continuous presence in the United States for purposes of subsection (a)(1) by virtue of brief, casual, and innocent absences from the United States.

`(c) Admissible as Immigrant-

`(1) IN GENERAL- The alien shall establish that the alien is admissible to the United States as immigrant, except as otherwise provided in paragraph (2).

`(2) EXCEPTIONS- The provisions of paragraphs (5), (6)(A), (6)(B), (6)(C), (6)(F), (6)(G), (7)(A), (9)(B), and (9)(C)(i)(I) of section 212(a) shall not apply in the determination of an alien's admissibility under this section.

`(d) Security and Law Enforcement Clearances- The alien, if over 15 years of age, shall submit fingerprints in accordance with procedures established by the Secretary of Homeland Security. Such fingerprints shall be submitted to relevant Federal agencies to be checked against existing databases for information relating to criminal, national security, or other law enforcement actions that would render the alien ineligible for adjustment of status under this section. The Secretary of Homeland Security shall provide a process for challenging the accuracy of matches that result in a finding of ineligibility for adjustment of status.

`(e) Inapplicability of Numerical Limitations- When an alien is granted lawful permanent resident status under this subsection, the number of immigrant visas authorized to be issued under any provision of this Act shall not be reduced. The numerical limitations of sections 201 and 202 shall not apply to adjustment of status under this section.

`(f) Termination of Proceedings- The Secretary of Homeland Security may terminate removal proceedings without prejudice pending the outcome of an alien's application for adjustment of status under this section on the basis of a prima facie showing of eligibility for relief under this section.'.

(b) Clerical Amendment- The table of contents is amended by inserting after the item relating to section 245A the following:

`Sec. 245B. Adjustment of status on the basis of earned access to legalization.
 
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