BRINGING FAMILIES BACK TOGETHER?

Form I-601A:

This form, better known as the "Application for Provisional Unlawful Presence Waiver" will be available to immigrants starting March 4th of this year. The specific use of the form will be to bring families back together. The applicant must be an immediate relative of someone residing in the United States, either a spouse, a parent, or child under the age of 21. The I-601A form is used as a waiver for the three and ten year blocks of time the government currently allows immigrants to reside in the country without legal status. The immigration form seems pretty extensive and answering yes to committing a crime, or crossing the border without inspection will more than likely result in the immigrant being permanently banned from the United States. Immigrants are also required to have an approved green card application to apply for the I-601A, but the application does not require that the immigrant is out of the United States, and therefore he or she can apply before their time is up in the country.

Opinion:

Although this does seem to be a good place to start in reuniting families, I do not know if I think it is a real solution to the problem. It seems as though the entire process is costing a lot of money beginning with the deportation of family members, causing the separation in the first place, and then processing these people to be reunited. Focusing on the initial separation may be time better spent for the United States government, creating a step in the process to check into an immigrant's family status before separating them. Examining the problem from the beginning may prove more productive and useful when it comes to keeping families together in the United States.

http://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/filling-out-form-i-601a.html

http://www.immigrationdirect.com/immigration-news/green-card/uscis-beginsaccepting-new-provisional-waiver/index.html