Wife’s Foresight Helps Widower Make Progress

When Anita Villalongo died in 2011, her husband Eugenio German was grief-stricken and suddenly the sole caretaker of three teenage children.  He also found himself $5,000 in debt to his landlord and in need of permanent legal residency.

Mr. German was an undocumented immigrant and would have been ineligible for permanent legal residency if not for the foresight of his wife.  Villalongo, who was a citizen, had filed a petition for her husband before April 30, 2001.  A provision of the Immigration and Nationality Act makes an exception for the beneficiaries of family petitions filed before this date.

If Mr. German’s application is approved and he obtains a visa, he would be able to obtain a driver’s license, health insurance, Social Security, and, most importantly, steady work.

See Julie Turkewitz, Deceased Wife’s Foresight Helps Man Make Progress, The New York Times, Nov. 5, 2013.

Special thanks to Lewis Saret for bringing this article to my attention.