The Obama Administration’s June 15 announcement that DREAM Act–eligible youth will no longer be deported is great news. However, it’s important to know the details of how the new policy will work.
For example, although the directive took effect on June 15, 2012, the federal government has 60 days to create a process to accept deferred action requests and is unable to accept requests at this time. Anyone who applies now will find their application rejected.
The National Immigration Law Center (NILC), working with partners at United We Dream, has developed a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document that addresses several key issues about the new policy. Among the points covered:
- who is eligible
- what are the fees
- whether individuals granted deferred action will be able to get a driver’s license and qualify for in-state tuition
It’s important to note that this FAQ is a work in progress and will be updated as government agencies release more details about the deferred action process.
We’re grateful to the NILC and United We Dream for coming up with such a useful document (including a pdf version) and we hope you will continue to follow this blog as we post more tools and action alerts aimed at fully realizing the DREAM Act!
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