My friend got a removal order in 2005. Now he is married to a US citizen and filed I-485 and I-765. He did not applied for I-212 waiver. But he got EAD yesterday. Does this mean that his removal order has been automatically cancelled?
-Not at all.
If not, how could the US government grants him a right to work here while it still wants to deport him? Is this not a self-contradiction?
-The EAD is based on the I-485 and as long as USCIS does not deny the I-485 yet, they will approve EAD application (irrelevant to the deportation). If the I-485 is denied later, the approved EAD will be also invalid.
Does he still need to file I-212 waiver?
-Yes. USCIS will deny his I-485 later if he does not provide the waiver for the removal proceedings.
Thanks for your advices.
