USCIS Begins Accepting Applications Under Liberian Refugee Immigration Fairness Law

On December 26, 2019, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it will begin accepting applications to adjust status to lawful permanent resident from certain Liberian nationals under Section 7611 of the National Defense Authorization Act (PDF) for fiscal year 2020, Liberian Refugee Immigration Fairness (LRIF), signed into law on Dec. 20, 2019. USCIS will accept properly filed applications only until December 20, 2020, one year from the enactment of the LRIF.

To be eligible for permanent residence (a Green Card) under LRIF, a Liberian national must have been continuously physically present in the United States from November 20, 2014, to the date they properly file an application for adjustment of status. Applicants must be otherwise eligible to receive an immigrant visa and be admissible to the United States. The spouses, unmarried children under 21, and unmarried sons and daughters 21 or older of eligible Liberian nationals are also eligible to apply.

The following grounds of inadmissibility do not apply to applicants under the LRIF:

• Public Charge (INA 212(a)(4));
• Labor Certification Requirements (INA 212(a)(5));
• Present Without Admission or Parole (INA 212(a)(6)(A)); and
• Documentation Requirements (INA 212(a)(7)(A).

Individuals are ineligible under LRIF if they have:

• Been convicted of any aggravated felony;
• Been convicted of two or more crimes involving moral turpitude (other than a purely political offense); or
• Ordered, incited, assisted or otherwise participated in the persecution of any person on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group or political opinion.

For more information about filing for adjustment of status under the LRIF, please contact one of our immigration attorneys.