Biden Provides Access For 500,000 Immigrants To Obtain US Citizenship

In light of the upcoming election, President Joe Biden is extending relief to hundreds of thousands of immigrants in the US who do not currently have legal status.

By making this action, he hopes to counterbalance his harsh border crackdown earlier this month, which infuriated supporters and numerous Democratic politicians. The Biden administration will let some wives of US citizens without legal status apply for permanent residency and eventually citizenship in the coming months, the White House announced on Tuesday.

Senior government officials estimate that up to 500,000 immigrants may be impacted by the decision.

To qualify for this, the immigrant must be married to a US citizen and have resided in the country for ten years as of Monday. If a qualifying immigrant’s application is accepted, they will be protected from deportation for three years while they apply for a green card and obtain a temporary work permit.

Senior administration officials who briefed reporters on the concept on condition of anonymity estimated that about 50,000 non-citizen children with a parent who is married to a US citizen would also be eligible for the same procedure. The length of the couple’s marriage is not a prerequisite, and after Monday, no one is eligible. That is, immigrants who at any point within the next ten years An immigrant must be married and have resided in the country for ten years as of Monday to be eligible.

A foreign national who is married to a US citizen and has been in the country for ten years as of Monday is eligible. An applicant who meets the requirements will be granted a temporary work visa, be protected from deportation for three years, and then have the opportunity to apply for a green card.

According to senior administration officials who briefed reporters on the plan on condition of anonymity, about 50,000 non-citizen children with a parent who is married to a US citizen may also be eligible for the same process.

No one becomes eligible after Monday, and there is no restriction on how long the pair must have been married.

According to the government, this implies that immigrants who turn 10 years old on June 17, 2024, or after, will not be eligible for the program. Senior administration representatives stated that they hope to begin accepting applications by the end of the summer, however, the application costs are still to be finalized. The

At an event at the White House on Tuesday afternoon, Mr. Biden will discuss his plans. This Tuesday also happens to be the 12th anniversary of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, a well-liked Obama-era directive that provided young immigrants without legal status with temporary work permits and protection from deportation.

In private, White House officials urged Democrats to return to Washington for the announcement this week while the House is in recess. The president will also unveil new rules that will make it easier for certain DACA recipients and other recent immigrants to meet the requirements for long-standing work visas.

That would make protection more robust for qualifying immigrants than the DACA work permits, which are presently being challenged in court and are no longer accepting new applications. The move on Tuesday follows two weeks after Mr. Biden announced a broad crackdown at the US-Mexico border that essentially stopped anybody entering between legally recognized ports of entry from claiming asylum.

Due to that directive—which, according to a senior administration official on Monday, had decreased border interactions between ports—immigrant-rights organizations have filed a lawsuit against the Biden administration.