This Tuesday, June 18th, the government announced a new policy that will shield undocumented spouses from deportation and offer them a pathway to citizenship and the ability to work legally in the United States.
According to the New York Times, «The new benefits for undocumented spouses will not take effect immediately; senior Biden administration officials said they expected the program to be rolled out by late summer. Those who qualify will then be able to apply for the benefits.»
This comes on the twelfth anniversary of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), which protects individuals who arrived in the U.S. as children from deportation.
The new policy will apply to those who have been in the country for at least 10 years and will allow them to work legally in the U.S. It is estimated that this will benefit around 500,000 spouses and 50,000 young people under 21 whose parents are married to U.S. citizens.
Currently, those who marry a U.S. citizen have the possibility of obtaining American citizenship, but if they entered the country illegally, they must return to their home country to obtain a Green Card, leading to long periods of separation for families.
This new measure aims to prevent these immigrants from having to return to their home countries and instead allow them to remain in the United States while they obtain legal status.
According to the New York Times, «To be eligible, spouses must have lived in the United States for 10 years and been married to a U.S. citizen by June 17th. They cannot have criminal records. Benefits would also extend to approximately 50,000 children of undocumented spouses who have become stepchildren of U.S. citizens.»
At the time of publishing this note, both the immigrants covered by this measure and all institutions and professionals involved in immigration matters are eagerly awaiting the exact date when this new measure will take effect.
Guidelines for the programme (Taken from aljazeera.com/)
To qualify for the spousal programme, an applicant must have lived in the US for 10 years as of Monday and be married to a US citizen.
If their application is approved, the applicant would have three years to apply for a green card and receive a temporary work permit. In the meantime, they would be shielded from deportation.
If granted a green card, they could eventually apply for US citizenship.
The announcement also includes measures to simplify the work visa process for individuals, including DACA recipients and other Dreamers, who have graduated from an accredited U.S. institution and have secured a job offer in a related field. .
Fees to apply have yet to be determined.
At Pikes Peak Immigration, we are excited to assist hundreds of families who will benefit from this new measure.
For more information, call us at 719-602-4477.