[ALBSA-Info] INS Press Release

[Agron Alibali]

>From www.ins.gov

December 21, 2000


Legal Immigration and Family Equity Act

Today, President Clinton signed a major immigration
legislative package called the Legal Immigration and
Family Equity Act (LIFE) into law. This is alternative
legislation to the Latino Immigration Fairness Act
(LIFA) that was previously proposed. The Immigration
and Naturalization Service (INS) is developing
guidance for implementation of this new law, which
will include instructions on how to apply under the
new provisions.

Among the changes in the law are the following:

• Section 245(i) of the Immigration and Nationality
Act will be available temporarily to people physically
present in the United States on the date of enactment,
December 21, 2000. The provision will allow a person
who qualifies for permanent residency, but is
ineligible to adjust status in the United States
because of an immigration status violation, to pay a
$1,000 penalty to continue processing in the United
States. In order to be eligible for 245(i) adjustment
under the LIFE Act, a person must be the beneficiary
of an immigrant petition or application for labor
certification filed on or before April 30, 2001.

• A new temporary "V" non-immigrant status will be
available to the spouses and minor children of lawful
permanent residents waiting more than three years for
an immigrant visa based upon an immigrant petition
filed on or before the enactment date of the LIFE Act.
Persons granted "V" status would receive employment
authorization and are protected from removal. 

• A new temporary "K" visa status will be available to
spouses of U.S. citizens (and their children) living
abroad. The current K visa is only available to
fiancées of U.S. citizens who are coming to the United
States to get married within 90 days of arrival. 

• Persons who filed before October 1, 2000, for class
membership in one of three "late amnesty" lawsuits
(CSS v. Meese, LULAC v. INS, and Zambrano v. INS) and
who are eligible under the LIFE Act's amended
legalization provisions may apply to adjust status
during a 12-month period that begins once regulations
are issued. Spouses and unmarried children of the
class action claimants will be protected from certain
categories of removal and will be eligible for work
authorization if they entered the United States before
December 1, 1988 and resided in the United States on
that date. 

— INS —
 



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