Some of the big winners last night in President Obama’s announcement of his executive action on immigration were those DREAMers who were not eligible under the 2012 DACA program because they entered after June 15, 2007 and those who aged out. The expanded DACA program now includes DREAMers who arrived before January 1, 2010. Also, the age cap on applicants has now been lifted. These changes may double the number of people eligible for DACA. Here is what the White House says about the DACA expansion:
DACA to cover additional DREAMers. Under the initial DACA program, young people who had been in the U.S. for at least five years, came as children, and met specific education and public safety criteria were eligible for temporary relief from deportation so long as they were born after 1981 and entered the country before June 15, 2007. DHS is expanding DACA so that individuals who were brought to this country as children can apply if they entered before January 1, 2010, regardless of how old they are today. Going forward, DACA relief will also be granted for three years.
This is a major victory for DREAMers. Although parents of DREAMers are not able to benefit from the action, about a half a million more DREAMers will.
While the application process for this expanded DACA program has not begun, DREAMers who think that they may be eligible for it should begin to collect these documents which will be needed to apply:
- A valid passport.
- Proof that you entered before January 1, 2010. These proofs can be school records, medical records, employer records, government records, or church records.
- Proof that you have been here over the last five years. These proofs can be school records, medical records, employer records, government records, or church records.
- Evidence that you are in school or that you have a high school diploma or a high school equivalency diploma. If you are not in school and you have not finished high school you can qualify by enrolling in a high school equivalence program or in an ESL program connected to a high school equivalence program.
- Get Certificates of Disposition from the court for any arrests that you may have.
For more information, come to CARECEN’s free workshops next week at 91 N. Franklin St. Suite 208 in Hempstead, N.Y.
