NEW YORK _ Joe Giudice won't get the boot pending his appeal of his deportation to Italy.
A federal appeals court ruled Wednesday that the husband of "Real Housewives of New Jersey" star Teresa Giudice can stay in the U.S. while he fights to overturn a prior judge's removal order.
"We are very thankful that the 3rd Circuit ruled in Joe's favor regarding the stay. This is an important step in the ongoing fight to bring Joe home where he belongs," Giudice family lawyer James Leonard Jr. said in a statement to the New York Daily News.
Giudice, 47, won an emergency postponement of his deportation from the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals last month, but the new ruling Wednesday is more durable, covering the entire case and making the temporary ruling "no longer necessary," the court said.
"The petitioner's motion for a stay of removal is granted. The requirements for granting a stay have been satisfied," the new ruling obtained by the Daily News said.
The reality TV spouse was released from prison in March after serving three years for financial fraud.
He was transferred to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility because a judge said last October he no longer qualifies to remain in the United States because he's not a U.S. citizen.
His earlier appeal with the Board of Immigration Appeals failed last month, setting the stage for the last-ditch effort now underway in the 3rd Circuit.
Giudice's four daughters with Teresa have launched a Change.org petition asking the Trump administration to let their dad stay. It had more than 91,000 signatures as of late Wednesday.
The daughters, led by the eldest Gia, say they need their dad to be a part of their lives.
"My father, Joe Giudice, came to the United States when he was an infant, one year after his birth, he has resided in New Jersey his entire life," the petition authored by 18-year-old Gia Giudice says.
"He was found guilty of NON Violent offenses and served his time complying with all prison guidelines and procedures. My mother and father have fought tirelessly to pay back every single penny of restitution to court deemed they owe. They have made a mistake but rectified it," Gia Giudice argues.
She claims her father "knows nothing of Italian culture" and has no immediate family there.
"My father is not a danger to society, he is a warm loving man and I beg you sign our petition to give my father a second chance at being part of our lives and giving back to the community," she says.
Teresa Giudice has supported the petition on Instagram after previously telling Bravo's Andy Cohen that deportation would end the couple's marriage.
"I'm not doing a long-distance relationship," she told Cohen during an on-air interview in March.
"I want somebody with me every day," she said.
"I know exactly what happens, like, you know, I'm sure he'll be with other women. You know, it happens," she added. "The long-distance thing, it's not going to work. Like, 'Bye-bye.' "
Teresa Giudice, 47, previously served 11 months of a 15-month federal prison sentence for concealing income and lying during bankruptcy proceedings.
The husband and wife were allowed to serve their sentences at different times so one parent was available to take care of the kids.
