In a precedent decision issued today, the BIA held that a respondent who adjusted status inside the U.S., and who did not enter as an LPR, is not barred from establishing eligibility for a waiver of inadmissibility under INA §212(h).
An alien who adjusted status in the United States, and who has not entered as a lawful permanent resident, is not barred from establishing eligibility for a waiver of inadmissibility under section 212(h) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, 8 U.S.C. § 1182(h) (2012), as a result of an aggravated felony conviction. In so doing, the BIA withdrew from its previous decisions on the topic, Matter of E.W. Rodriguez, 25 I&N Dec. 784 (BIA 2012), and Matter of Koljenovic, 25 I&N Dec. 219 (BIA 2010), withdrawn, aligning its holding with that of nine circuit courts who have held that the plain language of §212(h) precludes immigrants from establishing eligibility for relief only if they lawfully entered the U.S. as permanent residents and thereafter committed a removable offense for which a waiver is required.
