# Liberian Refugee Immigration Fairness

**ALERT:**On Oct. 29, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) updated policy guidance in the USCIS Policy Manual to clarify what steps applicants must take if they are not able to submit primary evidence of Liberian nationality to support an application for adjustment of status under the Liberian Refugee Immigration Fairness (LRIF) law.

Read the web alert for more information.

**ALERT:** On June 17, 2021, USCIS announced updated guidance in the USCIS Policy Manual regarding eligibility for adjustment of status under Liberian Refugee Immigration Fairness (LRIF). The updated guidance clarifies what evidence an applicant may submit to establish Liberian nationality when applying for adjustment of status under LRIF. Read more here: USCIS Clarifies Evidence Requirements Under Liberian Refugee Immigration Fairness

**ALERT:** The filing period for certain Liberian nationals and certain family members to apply for adjustment of status under the Liberian Refugee Immigration Fairness (LRIF) provision has been extended from one year to two years. If you are applying to adjust status based on LRIF, you must properly file Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status, and we must receive it by Dec. 20, 2021, two years from the date of enactment of the National Defense Authorization Act of Fiscal Year 2020  (PDF).

For more information, see Sec. 901 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021  (PDF), Extension of Period for Adjustment of Status for Certain Liberian Nationals.

Enacted on Dec. 20, 2019, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020 included a provision, Liberian Refugee Immigration Fairness (LRIF), which provides an opportunity for certain Liberian nationals and their spouses, unmarried children under 21 years old, and unmarried sons and daughters 21 years old or older living in the United States who meet the eligibility requirements to obtain lawful permanent resident status (receive Green Cards). For more information on LRIF, see the USCIS Policy Manual - Volume 7, Adjustment of Status, Part P, Other Adjustment Programs, Chapter 5, Liberian Refugee Immigration Fairness  (PDF, 344.44 KB).

This page provides specific information for Liberian nationals in the United States who want to apply for a Green Card (adjust status) based on LRIF. **Applicants should also read the Instructions for Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status before they apply.**

In order to be eligible for lawful permanent residence under LRIF, you must meet the following requirements:
                    - You properly complete and file  Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status , by Dec. 20, 2021, and we receive your application by Dec. 20, 2021;
                    - You are a national of Liberia;
                    - You have been continuously physically present in the United States during the period beginning on Nov. 20, 2014, and ending on the date you properly file your Form I-485; and
                    - You are admissible to the United States for lawful permanent residence or eligible for a waiver of inadmissibility or other form of relief.

You are not eligible for adjustment of status under LRIF if you have:
                    - Been convicted of any aggravated felony;
                    - Been convicted of two or more crimes involving moral turpitude (other than a purely political offense); or
                    - Ordered, incited, assisted, or otherwise participated in the persecution of any person on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion.

**Liberian National Requirement**

If you are applying as a national of Liberia, you must submit evidence of being a Liberian national. USCIS evaluates any and all evidence provided by the applicant, including the applicant's testimony during an interview, in order to evaluate the applicant's eligibility for adjustment of status.

Examples of evidence that may demonstrate Liberian nationality include but are not limited to:
                    - Unexpired Liberian passport; or
                    - Liberian certificate of naturalization.

USCIS does not require the above documents but provides them as examples of primary evidence that applicants may submit to demonstrate Liberian nationality.

Examples of secondary evidence that may, as part of the totality of the evidence, support an applicant's claim to Liberian nationality, but that would generally be insufficient on their own, include but are not limited to:
                    - Expired Liberian passports;
                    - Baptismal records or other religious documents;
                    - School records; and
                    - Medical records.

No single piece of evidence is required, and USCIS will consider any combination of evidence provided by the applicant, including types of evidence not listed here.

**Continuous Physical Presence Beginning on Nov. 20, 2014, through Filing of Form I-485**

To be eligible for a Green Card based on LRIF, you must have been continuously physically present in the United States during the period beginning on Nov. 20, 2014, and ending on the date you properly file your Form I-485.

Aliens will be considered to have maintained continuous physical presence if their absences from the United States amount to not more than 180 days in the aggregate (total).

**Evidence of Arrivals and Departures**

You must provide a list and evidence of *all* arrivals to and departures from the United States before Nov. 20, 2014, until the date you file Form I-485. Provide any evidence showing residence in the United States from the date(s) you arrived and established residence until the date you file this application. If USCIS approves your application, the date of lawful permanent residence will be recorded as either the earliest arrival date in the United States from which you can establish you have been a resident in the United States, or Nov. 20, 2014 (if you cannot establish an earlier arrival date).

**Approved Applicants Subject to a Final Order of Removal, Deportation or Exclusion**

If USCIS becomes aware or has been notified that an applicant we have approved for lawful permanent resident status (a Green Card) under LRIF is subject to a final order of removal, deportation or exclusion, we will notify U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) that we have approved the applicant. The LRIF law allows cancellation of a final order of removal, deportation or exclusion for a noncitizen approved for a Green Card under LRIF. If you have any questions relating to a motion to reopen and dismiss proceedings after an applicant receives approval for a Green Card under LRIF, contact your local ICE Office of the Principal Legal Advisor.

To qualify for a Green Card, you must be admissible to the United States. Reasons why you may be inadmissible are listed in INA 212(a) and are called grounds of inadmissibility.

In general, USCIS can only approve your Green Card application if none of the relevant grounds of inadmissibility apply to you, or if you obtain a waiver of inadmissibility for any ground that applies to you. If you are applying for a Green Card based on LRIF, all of the grounds of inadmissibility apply to you except for:
                    - Public charge ( INA 212(a)(4) );
                    - Labor certification ( INA 212(a)(5) );
                    - Aliens present without admission or parole ( INA 212(a)(6)(A) ); and
                    - Documentation requirements ( INA 212(a)(7)(A) ).

If you are inadmissible, the law may allow you to apply for a waiver or other form of relief that can overcome the ground of inadmissibility. You may apply for a waiver or other form of relief by using Form I-601, Application for Waiver of Grounds of Inadmissibility, and Form I-212, Application for Permission to Reapply for Admission into the United States after Deportation or Removal. If your waiver or request for another form of relief is granted, USCIS may approve your application for a Green Card if you are otherwise eligible.

Whether a waiver or other form of relief is available depends on the specific inadmissibility ground(s) that applies to you. Eligibility requirements for waivers and other forms of relief vary. For information on the grounds of inadmissibility and waivers, please see USCIS Policy Manual Volume 8, Admissibility, and Volume 9, Waivers.

In order to be eligible to adjust your status based on LRIF, you must be currently in the United States, have been continuously physically present during the period beginning on Nov. 20, 2014, and meet certain other requirements. If you meet these requirements, you may file Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status, to apply for a Green Card based on LRIF. You may not apply for adjustment of status based on LRIF after Dec. 20, 2021. **Applicants should read the Instructions for Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status (PDF, 686.14 KB) before they apply.**

**Note:**On your Form I-485, in Part 2, you must choose “Other Eligibility”. In the text box, write “LRIF” to indicate that you are applying to adjust as a Liberian national applicant. If you are applying as a family member of an LRIF-eligible Liberian national, write “LRIF family member” in the text box.

**Eligibility Criteria for Family Members**

You are eligible to apply for a Green Card as a family member based on LRIF if you meet the following requirements:
                    - You are currently the spouse, unmarried child under 21, or unmarried son or daughter 21 years old or older of a Liberian national who meets the requirements of LRIF and has applied for lawful permanent residence based on LRIF;
                    - You properly file  Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status , by Dec. 20, 2021, and we receive your application by Dec. 20, 2021; and
                    - You are admissible to the United States for lawful permanent residence or eligible for a waiver of inadmissibility or other form of relief.

The same bars to adjustment and inadmissibility grounds apply to family members as that apply to Liberian nationals applying for adjustment based on LRIF also apply to their family members.

**What to Submit**

You should read the **Instructions for Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status (PDF, 686.14 KB)** before you apply. In addition to the evidence listed in the main Form I-485 instructions, if you are applying as a family member based on LRIF, you must also submit evidence that establishes:
                    - Your relationship to an LRIF-eligible Liberian national (for example, marriage certificate or birth certificate);
                    - Termination of all your prior marriages, and all prior marriages of the LRIF-eligible Liberian national, if applicable; and
                    - All your arrivals to and departures from the United States.

**Evidence of Arrivals and Departures**

You must provide evidence and a list of *all* arrivals to and departures from the United States before your last arrival. Provide any evidence showing residence from the date(s) of your arrival when residence was established until the date you filed this application. If USCIS approves your application, the date of lawful permanent residence will be recorded as either the earliest arrival date in the United States from which you can establish you have been a resident in the United States, or the receipt date of your Form I-485 (if you cannot establish an earlier arrival date).

When you have a pending Form I-485 based on LRIF, you may apply for employment authorization by filing a Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization.

**Note:**If you are applying for adjustment of status based on LRIF, enter (c)(9) as your eligibility category when completing Part 2, Item 27 of Form I-765.

For further information, see our Employment Authorization page.

For more information, see the following:

Sec. 7611. Liberian Refugee Immigration Fairness, National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020 (PDF), pages 1112-1115.

Sec. 901 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (PDF), Extension of Period for Adjustment of Status for Certain Liberian Nationals, page 974.

08/01/2022

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