On January 26, 2023, a class action lawsuit was filed in Seattle against U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) seeking to hold the USCIS accountable for the increasing delays in processing unlawful presence waivers (I-601A’s), which is a necessary step for some to become a Lawful Permanent Residents (green card holders). Until these waivers are decided, plaintiffs—who include spouses of U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents—cannot work lawfully in the United States, cannot finalize their permanent residency processes and remain subject to removal from the United States.
GG&W will be monitoring this case closely and update our clients accordingly. Hopefully this lawsuit, as well as other measures the USCIS is adopting on its own accord to help deal with widespread processing delays for many petitions/applications, will help alleviate these long backlogs.