The Comprehensive Immigration Reform: The Wait Continues  

The wait for a Comprehensive Immigration Reform (CIR) has been long and is not quite over. President Obama has promised to make it a priority for his second term and both sides have finally agreed to negotiate possibilities of relief for unlawfully present immigrants in the US. Yet still, we are nowhere near a concrete comprehensive reform. It could be a long time before we see a detailed final version for it to pass and even longer before it is implemented and we don’t even know what it will look like.

The immigration reform proposals are vague and imprecise. Many questions are unresolved in regards to the legalization portion of the plan. We do not know how complex the process will be, the qualifications for admissibility, if there will be fines, the overall costs, etc. Most importantly, once enacted, we do not know how long the process will take. Because all cases and time frames are different, this could take many years and a lot longer than expected. Overall, there is only one thing we are certain about: the Comprehensive Immigration Reform is only in its beginning stage.

In the midst of uncertainty, the smart thing to do is to focus on what we do know and what we do have, the Provisional Waiver. Unlike the CIR, the waiver rules are clear certain and will begin accepting applications on March 4th, 2013. We have concrete dates for its implementation; we know the costs, the requirements and the results. We do not know what to expect of the CIR and rather than waiting around for answers we should take action, move forward and focus on what we know works.

The Law Office of Ruby L. Powers specializes strictly on immigration law with a particular focus on family-based immigration and I-601/I-601A waivers. Contact us to make a consultation and discuss your particular case.

Daniella Romero (Ruby L.Powers Law)

About the author

Ruby Powers

The child of a Mexican immigrant, Powers gravitated toward an international life by later marrying a Turkish immigrant. Having lived and studied in Belgium, Mexico, Turkey, Spain, and the United Arab Emirates, Powers speaks Spanish, French, and a hint of Turkish. With a passion for service and justice coupled with cultural understanding and an interest for immigrants, Powers dedicates her law practice to immigration law.