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CONGRESS BEGINS IMMIGRATION REFORM – THE WINDOW’S PENALTY SET TO END

(INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA: November 6, 2009) – Congress appears ready to address long-awaited immigration reform, according to Indianapolis immigration attorneys who carefully monitor reform efforts. The House voted 307 to 114 last week to pass the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Conference Report (HR 2892), which included an amendment to abolish the Widow’s Penalty. The Senate voted 79 to 19 to pass the bill, which President Obama is expected to sign it into law. Once the new law becomes effective, the immigration policy commonly known as the “Widow’s Penalty” will end.

“The ‘Widow’s Penalty’ references a foreign fiancée or spouse who is denied immigration benefits when his or her U.S. citizen spouse dies before the immigrant has a chance to obtain a green card,” explained Tiffany U. Vivo, an Indianapolis immigration attorney who focuses on family-based immigration matters. “The new law means that the death of a U.S. citizen spouse will no longer result in automatic deportation of widows, widowers and their children,” Vivo continued.

The new law eliminates the two-year marriage requirement, permitting widows and widowers of U.S. citizens to apply for a green card for themselves and on behalf of their foreign-born children. It is also retroactive so anyone qualifying for relief can file a petition for permanent residency up to two years after passage of the measure. “I, and most immigration attorneys and reform advocates, expect Congress to pass an amnesty program of some sort, but those efforts have been stalled by efforts to restart the economy and reform healthcare,” Vivo added. Assuming the healthcare debate winds down by year’s end, other domestic issues high on President Obama’s agenda, which includes immigration reform, will take a larger position on Congress’ agenda.

About Tiffany U. Vivo:
Ms. Vivo is an Indianapolis immigration lawyer, who practice focuses on family-based immigration matters. Ms. Vivo appears before the Immigration Court (EOIR), the United States Citizenship & Immigration Service (USCIS), the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) and state and federal courts in Indiana and Illinois. She is a member of the Indiana State Bar, and the national and local chapters of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA). Her immigration law offices are located in Indianapolis, from where she serves immigration clients across the country. For more information, go to www.my-immigration-lawyer.com

Contact:
Tiffany U. Vivo, Esq.
Phone: 317-236-0486
Email: attyvivo@yahoo.com