Who Needs a Waiver to Apply for Legal Status?

 Posted on June 15, 2024 in Immigration

A waiver is a legal document that permits people who would not normally be eligible to enter the United States to apply for legal status. If you are exploring your options for lawfully immigrating to the U.S. and find that you would likely be legally barred from getting a visa or green card, you may still be able to enter the country if you can get a waiver. Obtaining a waiver can be challenging. Immigration courts are usually reluctant to allow people who would normally be disqualified from getting a visa to come to the U.S. If you are seeking an immigration waiver, you must be represented by a skilled DuPage County, IL immigration attorney. Parties without a lawyer are far less likely to be granted a waiver.

Reasons You Might Need a Waiver to Immigrate

There are several reasons a person might need to get a waiver before applying to immigrate legally. You may need to start the immigration process by seeking a waiver if:

• You have been deported before - If you have been in the U.S. before but got deported or removed, you will need a waiver before you can re-enter the country. Whether you are likely to be granted a waiver will depend on why you were deported before. If your parent brought you into the country illegally when you were a child, you are likely to be able to get a waiver. However, if you were deported because you were caught illegally entering the country with illicit drugs as an adult, the process might be more challenging or impossible. 
• You were convicted of a crime - The more serious the crime you were convicted of, the less likely you are to qualify for a waiver. People who were found guilty of a serious felony in the U.S. may not be granted a waiver. Those who committed a less serious offense or who were convicted by a potentially unfair foreign court are more likely to get a waiver. 
• You stayed longer than your visa allowed you to - Waiting to leave the country until after your visa had expired might mean that you need a waiver to reapply for a new visa. How long you remained after your visa expired may be a factor. 

Contact an Itasca, IL Immigration Waivers Lawyer 

Unzueta Law Group, P.C. is dedicated to helping ineligible immigrants receive a waiver so that they can apply for legal status. Our knowledgeable DuPage County, IL immigration attorneys have over 20 years of experience helping local immigrants. Contact us at 630-509-2363 for a confidential consultation. Se habla Espanol.