New Jersey Immigration Attorney Discusses How a 3 and 10 Year Bar Can Affect a Visitor Visa
Recently, an old client of mine as a New Jersey Immigration Attorney, came here to the office and asked me about her cousin who had been here on a visitor visa for four years. She had a reason to go outside the US and was hoping to interview for her visa at the US embassy in her home country. This would have been a real problem.
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This woman would have been subject to the three and ten year bar. She would have triggered the bar the moment she left the country. In 1996, Congress passed what’s affectionately, or not so affectionately, known as the Three and Ten Year Bar, which means that if people have been in the US for over six months and up to a year and they leave the US they will trigger a three-year bar, a permanent freeze outside the US, and if they have been in the US in unlawful status for over twelve months, they will trigger a ten-year bar which is like being frozen outside of the US for ten years.
I advise clients as a New Jersey Immigration Attorney that sometimes it is not always possible to get a waiver of that three or ten year bar. In fact, most of the time, not. I always caution people who come to my office once I learn that they’ve been in the US out of status for a period of time exceeding six months or one year to be very careful. If they choose to travel outside the US, they should be totally aware of the consequences.
If you have any questions about the three and ten year bar or any other immigration matter, feel free to contact our experienced New Jersey Immigration Attorney.
This informational blog post was brought to you by Susan Scheer, an experienced New Jersey Immigration Attorney.