By Marlyn Montilla
Aug 20, 2024, 4:45 PM EDT
President Joe Biden’s administration on Monday began accepting applications for an executive-run program that creates an easier path to citizenship for illegal immigrants married to U.S. citizens.
The program, announced in June, is expected to help some 500,000 people work legally, avoiding rules that force many to leave the United States for years if they entered without authorization.
The measure, which also applies to stepchildren of U.S. citizens who do not have legal status, allows immigrants to obtain legal permanent residence, also known as a green card, without having to leave the country.
They will also be eligible for a three-year work permit.
Eligibility requirements are strict. Applicants must show they have been in the United States for at least 10 years before June 17, 2024, and must be legally married.
Like other programs aimed at helping illegal immigrants, this one is likely to face a legal challenge.
For example, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, enacted during the Barack Obama administration, is no longer accepting new applications due to a court ruling, Axios reported.
“We stand ready to defend this transformative legal process against potential legal challenges, as well as advocate for an expansion of eligibility criteria to include other mixed-status couples,” said Karen Tumlin, founder and director of the Justice Action Center.
The program makes obtaining a green card less dangerous for immigrants whose U.S. citizen spouses have petitioned on their behalf, said Jessica Cisneros, managing attorney for the Texas Immigration Law Council.
“Families can stay together. There is no question of whether I can come back if I leave.”
The Texas Immigration Law Council has opened a toll-free hotline in English and Spanish for people seeking accurate information and warned them to beware of scams related to the application process.
Continue reading:
- The frauds that forced the suspension of important immigration protection (podcast)
- Regularization plan opens today: half a million migrants urged to register
- USCIS takes new step to grant Green Cards to certain undocumented immigrants