What is the proposed Family Unity Waiver?

Last week, the Obama administration announced that it would propose a Family Unity Waiver. What does this mean?

The waiver would make it possible for some close relatives of US citizens who qualify for legal status to process their applications more quickly and easily. According to the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR), the proposal is "a significant step to enable spouses, sons, and daughters of US citizens to gain legal status without needing to face long-term separation from their families."

Under the current system, relatives of US citizens have to return to their home countries in order to apply for legal status. Once they have left the US though, there is no telling how long it will take to process their application or even if their application will be approved. As a result, many people currently face long term separation from their family members who are citizens in the US. The proposed Waiver would allow relatives of US citizens to have their applications processed while they are still in the US. Leaving the country and coming back again would therefore only be a formality and not a long-term separation.

However, ICIRR warns against complacency because the Family Unity Waiver is a proposal and not law - the Family Unity Waiver "does not by itself change any existing legal standards, and does not entitle anyone to legal status or create any new program to apply for one." There is still work to be done to make proposals like this reality and improve the lives of countless immigrants to the United States.

For more information on the Family Unity Waiver, check out ICIRR's fact sheet or attend a training that ICIRR is holding on:

Saturday, February 4, 2012, at Malcolm X College, as part of its Integration Summit.