I-601 and I-212 Waivers of Inadmissibility Approved through the Haitian Consulate
Congratulations to Steven, our newest permanent resident of the U.S.! After being separated from his U.S. citizen wife and three year old daughter for the past two years, Steven’s immigrant visa and I-601 and I-212 waivers were finally approved last Monday by the U.S. Consulate in Port-au-Prince. Steven will now enter the U.S. as a legal permanent resident. Steven’s journey to residency began ten years ago when he fled Haiti for the U.S. in fear of his life. Steven and his family applied for political asylum; however, his application was denied by an Immigration Judge in 2000. Steven appealed the decision to the Board of Immigration Appeals who affirmed the Immigration Judge’s denial and ordered him deported. At the time, Steven still feared for his life in Haiti because of his former political ties. For that reason, he did not leave the U.S. after receiving his final order of deportation. A few years later, Steven met his wife Lynn and the two were married in January of 2005. A year later the couple gave birth to a beautiful baby girl named Michelle. Lynn filed a relative petition on behalf of Steven which was approved in late 2006. In late 2007, Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested Steven on the grounds that he had been previously ordered deported and removed him to Haiti. Since then, Lynn and Michelle have struggled to get Steven back to the U.S. to be reunited with his family. After Steven’s removal, the couple retained our office to help Steven finally receive his residency. Our office worked on having Steven’s residency processed through the Haitian Consulate. After having his approved relative petition forwarded to the National Visa Center, Steven was finally called for an interview at the Consulate in Port-au-Prince in May 2009. Because Steven had resided unlawfully in the U.S. for more than one year, he was required to file an I-601 waiver and show extreme hardship to his U.S. citizen wife. Steven was also required to file an I-212 waiver because he had been previously ordered deported. Our office was able to evidence the extreme emotional and financial hardship that Lynn and Michelle have suffered since Steven’s deportation. After waiting four months for a final decision on his waiver applications, Steven was informed last week that his waivers were approved and that he could come back to the U.S. to be with his beloved wife and young daughter. Steven is currently in the process of making travel arrangements to reunite with his family and to come live in the U.S. permanently. Congratulations to Steven, Lynn, and Michelle as Steven’s ten year journey to become a resident has finally resulted in a happy ending for the family!
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