SAN FRANCISCO
Immigrants who wed allowed green
cards
Friday, January 7, 2005
A federal appeals court ruled Wednesday that immigrants who marry U.S. citizens may obtain green cards without having to leave the United States, even if they had been in deportation proceedings.
The ruling, by the First U.S. Court of Appeals in Boston, is expected to be a boon to thousands of immigrants in the Bay Area and elsewhere seeking legal permanent residence who would otherwise have had to leave the country and be barred from returning for 10 years.
The case, Succar vs. Ashcroft, was brought by Lebanese native Wissam Succar, who had been admitted to the United States in 1998 to apply for asylum. While his case was pending, Succar married a U.S. citizen, who applied for a green card on his behalf.
Though the decision technically covers only deportation cases pending in four New England states and Puerto Rico, legal experts say it is likely to be applied by other federal courts of appeals.
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