As you may already know, on November 20th, President Obama took executive action to amend several aspects of our immigration laws. Among these new policies, there are two deferred action programs that may benefit certain undocumented members of our community.
The first is an expansion of the already existent Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). The new policy changes three things, it
All other DACA eligibility criteria remain intact. The changes will become effective within 90 days of the announcement, or in late February 2015. DACA applicants lodging applications prior to that time will not benefit from the above.
The second is the creation of a new program for the parents of U.S. citizen (USC) or lawful permanent resident (LPR) sons and daughters (DAP). MPI estimates that close to 4 million people would be covered by this program. In order to be eligible, an applicant on November 20th, 2014 must
DAP approval will be valid for 3 years and potentially entitle approved applicants to a work permit and the ability to travel with advance permission. The cost will be $465. DAP applications should be available within 180 days from the announcement, or in late May 2015.
A new memorandum also unifies the enforcement priorities of the Department of Homeland Security across the board. It prioritizes the type of criminal and immigration offenses that should receive the most attention when the various agencies that make up DHS (Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Customs and Border Patrol, and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services) decide who apprehend, detain, or remove from the country. These priorities are tiered to three levels:
If you fall under any of these categories, it is imperative that you speak with an experienced immigration attorney or accredited representative. Even if you do not, but have had interaction with police or immigration authorities, it is advisable that you seek legal advice prior to applying. You can search for private attorneys here or non-profit organizations in your area here. As always, you can also call us on 773-282-8445 or come to our Thursday night walk-in clinic.
Remember: there is nothing to apply for right now! So, if anyone asks you to sign any forms or pay them money
to work on your application, they are scamming you. CIIS will host another information session on Thursday, Dec. 18th @ 7pm in the Irish American Heritage Center. You can
also check out our website for our informational PowerPoint where you can read more about how to get ready and helpful resources for information and updates.