Would Your Deportation Cause Your Family Extraordinary Hardship? - A Guide to 10-Year Cancellation of Removal

Sep 15, 2026

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A practical guide from the Florence Immigrant & Refugee Rights Project explains how a person in immigration removal proceedings may seek 10-year cancellation of removal based on whether deportation would cause one or more close legal-status family members “extraordinary hardship.” It outlines who may apply, eligibility rules for the applicant and family member, and what qualifies as extreme hardship. The guide also stresses preparation for court testimony and provides definitions of key immigration terms.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryLetters

FormatPDF

Pages36

Reading Time13 min

AccessFree to download

Who Should Read this Guide?

Can You Apply for a 10-Year Cancellation of Removal?

What Does Extreme Hardship Mean?

How Should You Fill Out the Application?

What Proof Should You Gather?

How to Prepare for Your Testimony

How Will the Judge Weigh the Evidence?

Frequently Asked Questions

Would Your Deportation Cause Your Family Extraordinary Hardship? A Guide to 10-Year Cancellation of Removal The Florence Immigrant & Refugee Rights Project is a nonprofit legal services organization that works with adults and children in immigration custody in Arizona. The staff of the Florence Project prepared and updated this guide for immigrant detainees who represent themselves in their removal proceedings. We do not charge for our services. To see our guides, [go to: ](go to: www.firrp.org)[www.firrp.org](go to: www.firrp.org). This guide is not intended to provide legal advice. It is not a substitute for legal counsel. This guide is copyright protected but you can share and distribute it widely to help immigrants around the country. If you adapt the information in this guide into your own publication, please credit the Florence Project. Contents Who Should Read this Guide? ................................................................... 5 Can You Apply for a 10-Year Cancellation of Removal? ............................. 5 What Does Extreme Hardship Mean? ........................................................8 How Should You Fill Out the Application? ............................................... 15 What Proof Should You Gather? ............................................................. 22 How to Prepare for Your Testimony ........................................................ 30 Be prepared .................................................................................................................. 30 Be honest ...................................................................................................................... 30 Turn negatives into positives ........................................................................................ 31 Do not be defensive ...................................................................................................... 31 Speak from the heart .................................................................................................... 31 Ask your family members to testify in court ................................................................ 32 Answer the judge’s questions ....................................................................................... 32 How Will the Judge Weigh the Evidence? ................................................ 33 Final Thoughts ............................................................................................................... 34 Frequently Asked Questions ................................................................... 34 Important Words to Know Immigration law has a lot of technical words. Here is a list of some words you will see in this guide and a short explanation of what they mean. ■ Deportation: ICE has put you in deportation proceedings, which are also called removal proceedings. If the judge orders you deported or“removed” from the United States, officials will send you back to the country where you are a citizen. You will not be able to legally return to the U.S. for at least 10 years. ■ Florence Project: A group of lawyers and legal assistants who provide free legal help to people who do not have lawyers. The Florence Project wrote this guide to help you understand your case. ■ Government Attorney: The lawyer who represents ICE when you go to your court hearings. This lawyer sits at the table next to you and also talks to the judge. Government attorneys should see that justice is done. Usually they ask the judge to order to deport you. ■ Hardship: A situation that causes suffering, difficulty, or pain. ■ Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE): The agency that has put you in deportation proceedings and detained you. ICE is part of the Department of Homeland Security, or DHS. ■ Immigration Judge (judge): The person who will decide your case. Judges hold hearings in the courtroom and wear black robes. They should look at t

FAQs

Who should read this guide?

This guide is for people facing removal/deportation who do not have legal status, have lived in the U.S. for at least 10 years, and can show a close family member with legal status would suffer extraordinarily if the person were deported.

What are the basic eligibility requirements for 10-year cancellation of removal?

Applicants generally must have been in the U.S. for more than 10 years, not taken long trips (over 3 months), have good moral character, and have no disqualifying criminal convictions.

What does “extreme hardship” mean in this context?

Extreme hardship refers to a level of suffering, difficulty, or pain that is considered severe for the qualifying family member if the applicant is deported.

Sep 15, 2026

Upload by Hazel