A newly leaked White House press release gives a detailed look at who will be eligible for relief under the executive action President Barack Obama will issue tonight. Those eligible will be able to apply for work permits and to remain in the United States temporarily. The application process will not begin until 2015.
Here is what the press release says about who is eligible to apply:
Eligible immigrants will have the opportunity to request temporary relief from deportation and work authorization if they come forward and pass criminal and national security background checks, pay their taxes, pay a fee, and show that they are:
· A parent of US citizens or lawful permanent residents on the date of the announcement, are not enforcement priorities and have been in the US since January 1, 2010, or
· An individual who arrived in the US before turning 16 years old and before January 1, 2010, regardless of how old they are today
Additionally, we are reducing the time that families are separated while obtaining their green cards.
Undocumented immigrants who are immediate relatives of lawful permanent residents or sons or daughters of U.S. citizens can apply to get a waiver if a visa is available.
So basically, the president will be advancing the date for DACA for DREAMers to those arriving before the beginning of 2010. We can expect these newly DACA-eligible young people to go through a process similar to that of DACA applicants in the first wave back in 2012. The parents of U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents are an entirely new category and we will have to wait for guidance on what their process will be.
This is what the press release says about when the application process will begin:
The U.S. government and specifically USCIS – will not begin accepting applications until early 2015. While the government is not accepting applications now, if you believe you are eligible for one or more of the initiatives, you can prepare by gathering documents that establish your identity, relationship to a US citizen or lawful permanent resident and show that you have continuously lived in the US for 5 years or more.
If you want more info on this, CARECEN will offer Spanish-language workshops next week.
The complete press release is here.
