ESTRADA

**What Happened** This case involved an immigration dispute where someone was trying to get a green card through a special program called Section 245(i). This program allows certain immigrants to adjust their status to permanent resident even if they entered the U.S. illegally or overstayed their visa. The person in this case was married to or was the child of someone who qualified for this special program, and they wanted to use that family connection to also get the benefit. **What the Court Decided** The Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) rejected the application. The court ruled that spouses and children can only benefit from this special immigration program if their family relationship existed before April 30, 2001. Since this person's marriage or parent-child relationship happened after that cutoff date, they could not use their family member's qualification to get a green card through this program. **Why This Matters for Workers** This ruling is important for immigrant workers and their families because it limits who can benefit from certain immigration protections. Workers who got married or had children after April 2001 cannot help their new family members get green cards through this particular program, even if the worker themselves qualified. This affects family reunification and immigration planning for many working families.