Resumindo o texto em ingles, enviado pelo escritorio de advocacia de Karl Shustermann:

texto em Espanhol

Explicacoes adicionais

Texto em Ingles

Se voce estava nos EUA no dia 21 de Dezembro de 2000, trabalhando legal ou ilegal, voce pode tentar um 'Adjusment of Status', e se voce qualificar, pode ficar aqui legalmente. Mas corra, pois voce tem que fazer isso ate 30 de abril de 2001

Leia a nota:

Q1. I've heard that a new law was recently passed by Congress which would reauthorize section 245(i). What is section 245(i)?   (§ = Section)

A. §245 of the immigration law allows persons to become permanent residents without leaving the U.S. through a process called "adjustment of status". Generally, persons who entered the U.S. without being inspected by an INS officer, who have ever been unlawfully employed in the U.S. or who failed to always maintain lawful status in the U.S. are barred from adjusting their status in the U.S. (There are certain exceptions to the last two bars for "immediate relatives" of U.S. citizens and for certain EB applicants.)

§245(i) was first added to the law in 1994 to allow persons who qualify for green cards, but not for adjustment of status, to be able to adjust their status in the U.S. upon payment of a fine (currently $1,000). Congress phased §245(i) out of the law on January 14, 1998. However, persons who had already qualified under the law as of that date were "grandfathered" into the benefits of §245(i) for the rest of their lives. The problem was that hundreds of thousands of otherwise qualified persons who missed the January 14, 1998 deadline cannot adjust status in the U.S., and cannot return to their countries to obtain green cards without being subject to either a three or a ten-year bar from returning to the U.S. These persons (You may be one of them!) have been in a state of legal limbo since 1998.

Congress gave a holiday present to hundreds of thousands of potential immigrants on December 15, 2000 when they extended the grandfathering date of §245(i) to April 30, 2001. Not only does this extend the benefits of §245(i) to persons who had labor certifications or visa petitions (I-130, I-140 or I-360) filed on their behalf between 1998 and 2000, but it gives persons over four months AFTER the passage of the law to qualify for the benefits of §245(i).

Q2. What must I do to qualify for §245(i)?

A. A person with a labor certification or a visa petition filed on their behalf on or before January 14, 1998 is qualified for the benefits of §245(i). Under the new law, a person who has a labor certification or visa petition filed on their behalf after January 14, 1998, but on or before April 30, 2001, is also qualified for the benefits of §245(i) but only if they were physically present in the U.S. on the date of enactment of the new law (December 21, 2000).

Q3. Does this mean that I must have been lawfully in the U.S. on December 21, 2000?

A. No, merely that you were present, legally or illegally, in the U.S. on that date.

Q4. What exactly do I have to do to qualify for the benefits of §245(i)

A. You must have either an employer or a relative submit a labor certification or a visa petition on your behalf by April 30, 2001. It is not necessary that the Labor Department or the INS approve your application or petition by this date, only that it be filed.

For example, there is a tremendous labor shortage in the U.S. in a wide variety of occupations. Whether you work as a nanny or a rocket scientist, a nurse or a professor, a mechanic or an engineer, if your employer (or prospective employer) is unable to find a U.S. worker to fill your job, you may be eligible for labor certification.

Also, if your brother, sister, father, mother, adult son or daughter, or your spouse is a citizen, or perhaps even a permanent resident, they should immediately submit a petition on your behalf, no matter what the waiting time is in that particular category. The purpose of filing such a petition is to qualify you for the benefits of §245(i).

U.S. citizens may petition for their spouses, married or unmarried sons and daughters of any age, parents, and brothers and sisters. Permanent residents may petition for their spouses and their unmarried sons and daughters of any age (This includes sons and daughters who are divorced or widowed).

Q5. Do I have to adjust status in the same category that I was petitioned for?

A. No. Let's assume that your brother (or your spouse's brother) has recently naturalized. The published waiting time for a sibling petition varies from 12 to over 20 years on paper, and the actual waiting time is even longer. Still, you should have him petition for you and your spouse and children immediately. The filing of a simple petition will make your whole family eligible for the benefits of §245(i). You are not obligated to wait 12 to 20 years to obtain a green card. If you qualify for a green card through employment, through another relative, or even through the green card lottery, because you are qualified under §245(i), you will be able adjust for status for permanent residence much more quickly. However, if you adjust your status based on a visa petition which was not the original basis for your being eligible to adjust status under §245(i), you must use your new priority date.

Q6. If my wife's relative files a petition for her on or before April 30, 2001, can we both qualify for permanent residence based upon a labor certification and visa petition filed after that date? How about my children? Once they turn 21 years of age, they won't be entitled to any benefits based on this petition, will they?

A. You and your children are considered to be "derivative beneficiaries" of the petition filed by your wife's relative on her behalf. This entitles not only your wife, but you and your children to the benefits of §245(i). If later on, you qualify for a green card based upon your job, a future job, a petition filed by one of your relatives after April 30, 2001, or if you win the green card lottery no matter how far in the future, you and your family can still adjust status under §245(i).

Even your children who "age-out" by turning 21, or by marrying, will still be entitled to the benefits of §245(i) if they were "derivative beneficiaries" of a visa petition filed by your wife's relative on or before April 30, 2001.

Conversely, if you and your wife divorce, not only will you and your children be eligible for the benefits of §245(i), but so will each of your new spouses and children, as long as the new relationships are in place prior to the time you or your ex-wife adjust status.

An INS Memorandum, dated June 10, 1999, provides excellent guidance in such situations.

Q7. What happens if my labor certification is not approved? Or if the employer goes bankrupt or withdraws my labor certification or visa petition? What happens if my relative dies? Am I still eligible under §245(i)?

A. Yes, the INS utilizes an "alien based" interpretation of §245(i). If a labor certification or visa petition was "approvable when filed", you are entitled to the benefits of §245(i) even if the application/petition was never approved, was withdrawn, or the petitioner ceases to exist.

Filings that are deficient because they were submitted without fee, or because they were fraudulent or without any basis in law or fact, are not considered to be "approvable when filed" and confer no benefits under §245(i) .

Q8. If I qualify for the benefits of §245(i), leave the U.S. and return at a later time, will I still be entitled to adjust status in the U.S. in the future?

A. Yes. However, if you have been "unlawfully present" (a legal term of art - be sure to consult with an experienced immigration attorney) in the U.S. for 180 days or more, you may be subject to either a three or a ten-year bar to returning to the U.S. If this applies to you, DO NOT TRAVEL OUTSIDE THE U.S. UNTIL YOU BECOME A PERMANENT RESIDENT.

Q9. If I qualify for benefits under §245(i), when will my eligibility for being able to adjust status in the U.S. expire?

A. Never. Once you qualify for benefits under §245(i), your eligibility never expires. Of course, you must still qualify (through a relative, a job or the green card lottery) when you apply for adjustment of status. And you must be admissible to the U.S. If you are a criminal, have committed immigration fraud, etc., you may be inadmissible.

Q10. I want to qualify for the benefits of §245(i). What should I do?

A. You need to move quickly to meet the April 30, 2001 deadline, and you can't afford to make any mistakes. If the INS or the Labor Department returns your application because it was incomplete or because you made a mistake in completing the forms, you may lose your last best chance to qualify for benefits under §245(i) and to legalize your status in the U.S.

§ 245(I) - A Simple Guide To A Much Misunderstood Benefit

Is it an amnesty? Does it protect you from deportation? Does it give you
a work permit? Is it a quick route to a green card? And if it is none of
the above, which is true for most people, then what good is it?

So, let us try to explain section 245(I) as simply as possible:

Most persons obtain permanent residence either in the U.S. by a process
called "adjustment of status" or at a U.S. Consulate abroad where they are
issued an "immigrant visa".

Beginning in the 1970's, Congress placed a number of restrictions on
qualifying for adjustment of status. In general, it is not available to
persons who: (1) entered the U.S. without being inspected by an immigration
officer (in most cases, they snuck across the border); (2) overstayed their
authorized stay in the U.S.; or (3) violated their status in the U.S.
(Example: by working on their tourist visa.) Although there are certain
exceptions to this rule (Example: "Immediate relatives" of U.S. citizens
may adjust status even if they overstayed or violated their status.), most
of these people are ineligible for adjustment of status in the U.S., and
must return home to apply for an immigrant visa at a U.S. Consulate abroad.
Are you with me so far? Good!

This worked fine until 1997 when a law passed by Congress the year before
became effective. The law provides that a person who was "unlawfully
present" in the U.S. for over 180 days, or over one year, after April 1,
1997, is barred from reentering the U.S. for three years or ten years,
respectively. Waivers of the bars are available where the person can prove
their U.S. citizen or permanent resident spouses or parents would suffer
"extreme hardship" if they were not allowed to return to the U.S. This
proved to be a major disincentive to leaving the U.S. even to apply for an
immigrant visa abroad. Still with me? Okay.

Fortunately, for everyone, Congress had already enacted section 245(I),
which took effect on October 1, 1994.

*** Section 245(I) simply allows a person who is eligible for a green card
and who is present in the U.S., but who would otherwise be ineligible to
adjust his status, to pay a $1,000 fine and do so.***

That's all there is to it! It's not an amnesty, doesn't protect illegals
from deportation, doesn't provide you with a work card, and doesn't speed
up your green card.

Then why is it so important? To simplify: Congress ended the first section
245(I) on January 14, 1998. However, most persons with either labor
certifications or either employment-based or family-based visa petitions
filed by that date remain 245(I)-eligible. If you are 245(I)-eligible, can
you immediately apply for a green card? No! You must wait until your
priority date is "current" (See http://shusterman.com/vb.html) before you
can apply for adjustment of status. When you apply for adjustment of
status, you can also apply for a work permit, but probably not for a travel
permit (Remember the three and ten-year bars? They still apply until you
become a permanent resident.)

What if you missed the January 14, 1998 deadline? You, and hundreds of
thousands of other people, were out of luck. If you could not adjust
status either because you entered the U.S. illegally or you overstayed your
visa, you probably could not return home to get your green card because of
the three and ten-year bars. You were in a "Catch-22" situation!

That all ended on December 15, 2000 when Congress reauthorized section
245(I). The new law, however, has a couple of catches. One, to qualify
for the new section 245(I), you have to prove that you were in the U.S. on
the day that the President signed the law. This occurred on December 21,
2000. Two, your (potential) employer or your relative must file an
application or a petition by April 30, 2001 for you or your spouse to
qualify for a green card.

I think that a few of you are still not 100% clear about section 245(I), so
let me give you a few examples of how section 245(I) works:

EXAMPLE #1: The wife is a U.S. citizen. The husband entered the U.S.
illegally across the Mexican border more than one year ago. Normally, the
husband would not only have to return to Mexico to apply for an immigrant
visa, but would have to get a waiver to avoid the ten-year bar to return to
the U.S. Although most waivers are granted, the husband would be forced to
wait in Mexico for 10 to 12 months while the INS approved his waiver. Our
law firm represents a couple in Ohio with a case exactly like this one.
The husband was supposed to fly to Mexico on December 16, apply for his
green card, and be separated from his wife for approximately one year.
However, as soon as Congress passed the section 245(I) amendment on
December 15, we called him and told him to cancel his flight. We are now
applying for adjustment of status and a work permit for him. Paying $1,000
to the INS is a small price for being able to remain together with his wife.

EXAMPLE #2: Raj is a computer programmer in his third year of college in
Georgia. Unfortunately, eh is not in legal status. When eh finishes
school, eh will not be able to go abroad (not even to Canada or Mexico) to
obtain an H-1B visa because eh is subject to the 10-year bar. However,
Raj's wife's sister is a U.S. citizen. She has never bothered to apply for
Raj's wife because the waiting time from sister-to-sister petitions for
persons born in India exceeds 12 years. Last week, we prepared and
submitted a visa petition for Raj's wife. Since we did so before April 30,
2001, this made both Raj and his wife 245(I)-eligible. So what, you say,
who wants to wait 12 years to get a green card?

The solution to this is for Raj to have a potential employer sponsor him
for permanent residence after eh graduates in June 2002. But since this
will be after April 30, 2001, won't that be too late? Not at all. Raj is
245(I)-eligible because his sister-in-law's petition was filed (although
not approved) by April 30, 2001. Once the petition is filed, Raj became
245(I)-eligible for LIFE. This is true even if his sister-in-law has a
change of heart and withdraws the petition prior to approval. It's true
even if (God forbid!) Raj's wife dies or they are divorced (and remarry)
before the approval of the petition.

EXAMPLE #3 - Let's assume that you visited the U.S. on the Visa Waiver
Program and spent the month of December 2000 here. At this time, you have
no intention of remaining in the U.S. However, your spouse's parents live
in the U.S., and they prepared and submitted a visa petition on her behalf
during January 2001, just because they read our "Section 245(I) FAQ".

In the year 2006, you and your wife are both living and working in the
U.S., quite illegally. The visa petition filed in January 2001 is nowhere
near current. In desperation, you apply for the green card lottery and win!

Normally, because you are illegally in the U.S., you are ineligible for
adjustment of status. You can't go home to apply for a green card because
you are subject to the 10-year bar. What do you do? You can adjust your
status under the lottery by paying a fine since the petition filed in 2001
made you 245(I)-eligible for life!

Got it? I hope so! If you think that you may be able to establish 245(I)
eligibility by April 30, 2001, and no matter where you live in the U.S., we will be glad to assist you in qualifying under this wonderful section of the law. Don't wait too long.
The clock is ticking!

Texto em Espanhol

DIEZ PREGUNTAS Y RESPUESTAS SOBRE
LA NUEVA 245(i)

American Immigration Lawyers Association
Jose Pertierra, Abogado Especializado en Casos de Inmigración

Estas preguntas y respuestas son estrictamente informativas. No representan consejo legal.

1. ¿Qué es la nueva ley de inmigración Sección 245(i)?

La nueva ley 245(i) permite que ciertas personas elegibles (fíjese en la respuesta #3) se conviertan en residentes permanente sin necesidad de salir del país. Hay un plazo hasta el 30 de abril del 2001 para presentar una petición de visa (I-130, I-140 o I-360) con el Servicio de Inmigración (INS) o una solicitud de certificación laboral con el Departamento de Labor.

UNA NOTA IMPORTANTE: la nueva 245(i) añade un requisito de “presencia física” para establecer elegibilidad. Es decir, las personas que presenten una petición de visa o una solicitud de certificación laboral entre el 14 de enero de 1998 pero antes del 30 de abril del 2001 necesitan demostrar posteriormente que estaban en EE UU el 21 de diciembre del 2000, el día que el proyecto se convirtió en ley.

2. ¿Por qué una nueva 245(i)?

Porque la 245(i) anterior se venció por orden del Congreso el 14 de enero de 1998. La 245(i) fue creada originalmente por el Congreso en 1994, y permitía que las personas que estaban en EE UU sin autorización tramiten su residencia sin salir del país con tal de que paguen la cantidad de $1,000. Por esa razón, le dicen en la calle “la ley de la multa.” Muchas personas no lograron presentar sus casos antes de la fecha indicada. Esta extensión de la 245(i) hasta el 30 de abril les abre una ventanilla de oportunidad de cuatro meses de duración a los indocumentados para tratar de legalizar su situación inmigratoria.

3. ¿Quiénes califican para la nueva 245(i)?

Toda persona que sea elegible para la residencia a través de una relación familiar o a través de una oferta de empleo puede beneficiarse de la nueva 245(i). Las personas que más necesitan la 245(i) son esos que ingresaron a EE UU sin papeles, a los que se les ha vencido la estadía de su visa, los que violaron los términos de su visa, los que trabajaron sin autorización, los que ingresaron como marineros o los que ingresaron con visa de tránsito.

4. ¿Qué es “la ley del castigo” de los tres y de los diez años?

Sin la 245(i), las personas que deseaban solicitar la residencia permanente necesitaban salir de EE UU y tramitar la visa a través del consulado estadounidense en el exterior. La ley sanciona a los indocumentados que salen del país después de haber estado en EE UU más de 180 días sin autorización. Las sanciones son castigos de tres hasta diez años fuera de EE UU antes de poder solicitar el regreso. La 245(i) neutraliza estas sanciones conocidas como “la ley del castigo”, porque permite que los indocumentados soliciten la residencia a través de un familiar o un empleador sin necesidad de salir del país a pesar de haber permanecido en EE UU sin autorización.

Para no ser sancionado con la ley del castigo, es muy importante que las personas indocumentadas no salgan de EE UU hasta que logren la residencia permanente.

5. ¿Qué es el requisito de ‘presencia física’ y cómo puedes cumplir con él?

Bajo la nueva ley, los que presentan sus casos después del 14 de enero de 1998 hasta el 30 de abril del 2001 tienen que demostrar que estaban físicamente presente en EE UU el 21 de diciembre del 2000. Es aconsejable que las personas presenten recibos u otros documentos que incluyan el nombre de la persona y la fecha del 21 de diciembre del 2000.

6. ¿Cómo puede una persona aprovecharse de la 245(i)?

Para aprovechar las oportunidades de la nueva 245(i), necesita un peticionario. Este puede ser un pariente cercano o un empleador, pero tiene que presentar la petición no más tarde que el 30 de abril del 2001. Un residente legal puede pedir a su esposa, a sus hijos solteros, viudos o divorciados (de cualquier edad). Un ciudadano estadounidense puede pedir a su esposa, a sus hijos de cualquier edad (casados o no), a sus padres y a sus hermanos. También una esposa abusada puede presentar una petición por sí misma. Igual que los solicitantes de visas basadas en el interés nacional. Fíjese que el Departamento de Labor y el INS no tienen que aprobar la petición antes de esa fecha. La ley solamente exige que se presente el caso antes del 30 de abril del 2001.

7. ¿Se puede cambiar de categoría posteriormente?

Sí. Con tal de que uno haya presentado una petición de visa o un caso de certificación laboral a tiempo (hasta el 30 de abril del 2001), uno puede posteriormente cambiar de categoría de visa para agilizar el proceso. Por ejemplo, de trabajador no calificado a profesional u obrero diestro. De hermano de ciudadano estadounidense a esposo de residente permanente.

8. ¿Cuál es el cobro y cuándo hay que pagarlo para utilizar la 245(i)?

El cobro de la 245(i) es de $1,000, más los otros cobros del INS. En la mayoría de los casos, uno no tiene que pagar el cobro inicialmente. Es algo que el INS le exige después de haber aprobado la petición inicial. Hay que pagarlo cuando usted presente el formulario I-485 para hacer el ajuste de estado inmigratorio.

9. ¿Qué otras protecciones le ofrece la 245(i)?

La 245(i) solamente permite que las personas indocumentadas soliciten la residencia en EE UU a través de familiares o de empleadores. Hasta que la persona se haga residente permanente, no le permite trabajar en EE UU, ni viajar fuera del país con autorización.

10. ¿Qué deben hacer las personas para utilizar la 245(i)?

Es muy importante que las personas que quieran utilizar la 245(i) obtengan el consejo profesional de abogados especializados en casos de inmigración o de agencias comunitarias con la experiencia y el conocimiento para asesorarlos correctamente. Los “notarios” no tienen la experiencia necesaria para dar consejos legales profesionales, y pueden perjudicar en vez de ayudar a las personas necesitadas.

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