In a bid to address the mounting pressure surrounding immigration ahead of the upcoming elections, the White House has unveiled a new policy that promises relief to potentially hundreds of thousands of immigrants residing in the United States. As per the announced plan, spouses of US citizens who are currently living in the country without legal status will be eligible to apply for permanent residency and eventually citizenship.
The administration revealed on Tuesday that this initiative will directly impact over half a million immigrants. To qualify for the new rule, individuals must have resided in the United States for a minimum of 10 years as of Monday, June 19, 2023, and be married to a US citizen. Additionally, approximately 50,000 noncitizen children with parents married to US citizens could also potentially benefit from this process. Notably, there is no requirement regarding the duration of the marriage, and the eligibility window closed on Monday. This means that immigrants reaching the 10-year mark after June 17, 2024, will not be considered for the program.
Once the application is approved, qualifying immigrants will have a three-year window to apply for a green card. During this period, they will be granted a temporary work permit and be protected from deportation. Senior administration officials predict that the application process will be open by the end of the summer, though the application fees have yet to be determined.
President Biden is scheduled to address his plans at a White House event on Tuesday afternoon. The event also marks the 12th anniversary of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, a popular Obama-era initiative that provided deportation protections and temporary work permits for undocumented young immigrants. White House officials have privately encouraged Democratic members of the House of Representatives, currently on recess, to return to Washington to attend the announcement.
