Source: http://myattorneyusa.com/extreme-hardship
Timestamp: 2019-04-20 02:54:26+00:00

Document:
If an alien is inadmissible to the United States, he or she will be ineligible to receive an immigrant visa from abroad or for adjustment of status to being a lawful permanent resident (LPR) from within the United States. Generally, persons who are within in the United States and have un-waived grounds of inadmissibility will be subject to removal. However, provided that the subject alien has a qualifying U.S. citizen (USC) or LPR immediate family member, the alien may be able to apply for an extreme hardship waiver, depending on the specific inadmissibility ground(s) and the immigration benefit being sought, on the ground that his or her removal would cause “extreme hardship” to the qualifying relative. Note that extreme hardship waivers are discretionary, and factors in any application for an extreme hardship waiver are weighed on a case-by-case basis. Since the statutory language for various extreme hardship waivers does not define what constitutes extreme hardship to a qualifying relative in great detail, we must rely for guidance on past agency decisions, agency regulations and memoranda, and judicial precedent to understand how extreme hardship factors have been weighed in a variety of situations. This article will look at the specific extreme hardship waivers, how they have been applied, and offer guidance for seeking an extreme hardship waiver.
Each of the extreme hardship waivers that we will discuss in this article depends on the applicant demonstrating that his or her removal would cause “extreme hardship” to a qualifying relative who is either a USC or LPR. Qualifying relatives for the extreme hardship waivers are USC or LPR spouses or parents for the extreme hardship waivers found in INA §§ 212(a)(9)(B)(v) and 212(i), and those plus sons and daughters for the extreme hardship waiver found in INA § 212(h)(1)(b).
In ultimately deciding that Cervantes had not demonstrated that his wife would incur extreme hardship upon his removal, the majority also noted that his wife was aware of his adverse immigration situation when she married him, and that this was a negative factor against granting the waiver.
Over time, application of the factors in the dissenting opinion have gained support among immigration adjudicators when adjudicating requests for extreme hardship waivers, along with those factors listed in the majority opinion. While any request for an extreme hardship waiver depends heavily on the circumstances of the applicant and his or her qualifying relative(s), as well as the specific extreme hardship waiver being sought, Matter of Cervantes continues to provide all interested parties with a good explanation of the factors that should and must be considered in evaluating a request for an extreme hardship waiver.
Note that both sets of factors take into account both if the qualifying relative were to remain in the United States after the removal of the applicant and if the qualifying relative were to follow the applicant to the country to which he or she would be removed.
In order to apply for an extreme hardship waiver, an applicant must file a Form I-601, Application for Waiver of Grounds of Inadmissibility.
If an applicant has already accrued unlawful presence for a 3 or 10 year bar of inadmissibility, there are certain limited circumstances in which the alien may apply for a provisional unlawful presence waiver before departing the United States for an immigrant visa interview at a U.S. consulate abroad. This would allow the alien to have his or her immigrant visa process adjudicated more expeditiously than if he or she had to apply for an extreme hardship waiver from overseas. In order to be eligible, the applicant must be at least 17 years of age, the qualifying relative must be a USC (LPRs are not qualifying relatives for a provisional unlawful presence waiver), and the applicant must not have any other grounds of inadmissibility aside from unlawful presence.7 To learn about provisional unlawful presence waivers in more detail, please read our full article on the subject.
For purpose of the INA § 212(h)(1)(B) extreme hardship waiver, the applicant must be the spouse, parent, son, or daughter of a USC or LPR and demonstrate that the qualifying relative would incur extreme hardship if the applicant is not admitted. Furthermore, pursuant to INA § 212(h)(2), the alien must not have been convicted of murder, torture, or attempted or entered into a conspiracy to commit murder or torture. Under the same section, the alien is ineligible for a waiver if he or she is an LPR and has been convicted of an aggravated felony since admission as an LPR, or if the alien did not reside continuously in the United States for at least 7 years before the commencement of removal proceedings.
The extreme hardship waiver in INA § 212(i) is for grounds of inadmissibility stemming from INA § 212(a)(6)(C)(i), which contains inadmissibility grounds for aliens who, by fraud or misrepresenting a material fact, sought to procure or procured a visa, other documentation, admission into the United Sates, or any other immigration benefit.
In order to satisfy the requirements for the waiver, the applicant must demonstrate that his or her not being admitted would cause extreme hardship to a USC or LPR spouse or parent. While children are not qualifying relatives for the waiver, factors involving a child may be used to help demonstrate extreme hardship to a qualifying spouse.14 Matter of Cervantes [link] is the most broadly applicable precedent for INA § 212(i) waivers.
While demonstrating exceptional and extremely unusual hardship is substantially more difficult than demonstrating extreme hardship, the BIA has interpreted the standard in such a manner that it is not completely impossible to do so. However, mere severe difficulties to qualifying relatives in the event of the applicant's removal will not be sufficient to meet the standard.
Regardless of the hardship standard, demonstrating hardship for a waiver, or especially for cancellation of removal, is a very complicated process. Before even considering an extreme hardship waiver, an alien should consult with an experienced immigration attorney. Depending on the inadmissibility ground and other factors, an experienced immigration attorney may find that the applicant may be eligible for a different waiver than an extreme hardship waiver. In the event that an immigration attorney decides that applying for an extreme hardship waiver is the best course of action, the alien and his or her qualifying relative(s) should be cooperative with the immigration attorney so that the immigration attorney has all information necessary to compile the most compelling case for a waiver based on the circumstances of the applicant's qualifying relative(s) and the immigration attorney's knowledge of precedents and policies relating to findings of extreme hardship. It is important to remember that since the grant of the waiver must be weighed against adverse factors, immigration adjudicators may find that adverse factors stemming from the inadmissibility ground or otherwise may ultimately way against granting an extreme hardship waiver even if the applicant demonstrates that his or her qualifying relative would suffer extreme hardship upon the applicant's removal.
Paraphrasing the list from Matter of Cervantes, 22 I&N Dec. 560, 566 (BIA 1999) [The majority cited: “Jong Ha Wang v. INS, 450 U.S. 139 (1981); Gutierrez-Centeno v. INS, 99 F.3d 1529 (9th Cir. 1996); Shooshtary v. INS, 39 F.3d 1049 (9th Cir. 1994); Palmer v. INS, 4 F.3d 482 (7th Cir. 1993); Cerrillo-Perez v. INS, 809 F.2d 1419 (9th Cir. 1987); Ramirez-Durazo v. INS, 794 F.2d 491 (9th Cir. 1986); Sanchez v. INS, 755 F.2d 1158 (5th Cir. 1985); Contreras-Buenfil v. INS, 712 F.2d 401 (9th Cir. 1983);Ramirez-Gonzalez v. INS, 695 F.2d 1208 (9th Cir. 1983); see also Matter of Pilch, 21 I&N Dec. 627 (BIA 1996); Matter of L-O-G-, 21 I&N Dec. 413 (BIA 1996); Matter of O-J-O-, 21 I&N Dec. 381 (BIA 1996); Matter of Ige, 20 I&N Dec. 880 (BIA 1994); Matter of Anderson, 16 I&N Dec. 596 (BIA 1978)”].
Kurzban 124, citing Policy Memo, USCIS, Exceptions for Permitting the Filing of Form I-601 and Any Associated Form I-212, PM-602-0062.1 (Nov. 30, 2012), published on AILA InfoNet at Doc. No. 12120568.
Kurzban 166, citing, Matter of Mendez-Morales (BIA 1996); Reyes-Cornejo v. Holder, 734 F.3d 636, 645-49 (7th Cir. 2013).
Kurzban 173, citing, Matter of Cervantes-Gonzalez, 22 I&N Dec. 560, 569 (BIA 1999), aff'd, Cervantes-Gonzalez v. INS, 244 F.3d 1001 (9th Cir. 2001).
Kurzban, Ira J. Kurzban's Immigration Law Sourcebook: A Comprehensive Outline and Reference Tool. 14th ed. Washington D.C.: ALIA Publications, 2014. 123-24, 166-68, 171-73, Print. Treatises & Primers.

References: § 212
 § 212
 § 212
 § 212
 § 212
 § 212
 v. 
 v. 
 v. 
 v. 
 v. 
 v. 
 v. 
 v. 
 v. 
 v. 
 v.