Legal Immigration and Family Equity
The Legal Immigration and Family Equity (LIFE) Act allowed individuals to apply for permanent residence if they resided unlawfully in the United States during specified periods of the 1980s and filed as members in any of three class action lawsuits. This provision is known as “LIFE Legalization” and the application period expired on June 4, 2003. However, thousands of LIFE cases remain pending today before the Citizenship and Immigration Services.
To be eligible under the LIFE Act an individual must have entered the United States before January 1, 1982 and resided in continuous unlawful status through May 4, 1988. They must also have filed a written claim for class membership in one of the following class action lawsuits arising from the 1986 Legalization, or Amnesty, program for illegal immigrants: Catholic Social Services, Inc. (CSS) v. Meese, the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) v. INS, and Zambrano v. INS.
The LIFE Act provides eligible applicants with work authorization, and even a stay of removal or deportation proceedings or orders, while their adjustment applications are pending. It also protects from removal and provides employment authorization for certain spouses and minor children of eligible applicants for the period of time in which they are afforded Family Unity protection.
To be eligible under the LIFE Act an individual must have entered the United States before January 1, 1982 and resided in continuous unlawful status through May 4, 1988. They must also have filed a written claim for class membership in one of the following class action lawsuits arising from the 1986 Legalization, or Amnesty, program for illegal immigrants: Catholic Social Services, Inc. (CSS) v. Meese, the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) v. INS, and Zambrano v. INS.
The LIFE Act provides eligible applicants with work authorization, and even a stay of removal or deportation proceedings or orders, while their adjustment applications are pending. It also protects from removal and provides employment authorization for certain spouses and minor children of eligible applicants for the period of time in which they are afforded Family Unity protection.