Under a new plan proposed by President Obama, undocumented immigrants with parents or spouses in the United States would not be required to leave the country before they file paperwork that would prevent deportation because of family hardship. The current rule forces those seeking hardship waivers to separate from their families while their applications are being processed and the procedure can drag on for months and sometimes years.
When the waivers are granted, immigrants apply for green cards, and the new proposal promotes family unity by allowing them to stay in the country while they wait. Although about 23,000 immigrants use the system annually, this new plan would affect an estimated 100,000 illegal residents. Administration officials anticipate that if the proposal goes into effect, more people will apply for waivers when they don’t have to make the trips separating families.
Because the policy would spur many who are eligible for green cards to apply for them, there’s expected to be an influx of applications which include affidavits that require notarization.