Biden Expands Immigration Protections to Undocumented Spouses and Streamlines Employment-Based Visas for DACA Recipients

WASHINGTON, DC, June 18 2024—On June 18, the Biden administration announced policy changes that will provide immigration relief to thousands of deeply-rooted immigrants in the United States. 

The first is a program which will offer relief to undocumented people married to U.S. citizens and who have lived in United States for at least 10 years. Through “Parole in Place,” which has been used for over a decade to provide relief to family members of military personnel, the administration will provide some mixed-status families with a streamlined path to permanent status. The White House estimates that over 500,000 people could benefit, and that the average applicant has resided in the United States for 23 years.  

The second measure announced by the White House would ease the process for DACA beneficiaries (and potentially other Dreamers) to access high-skilled employment visas.  This will allow employers to keep their critical employees, while providing DACA recipients an opportunity to continue to invest in their communities. 

“Today’s announcement will transform the lives of thousands of immigrants and families across the U.S. who’ve lived in fear and uncertainty for far too long,” said Jorge Loweree, managing director of programs. “While much work remains to address the needs of the thousands of other mixed-status families across the U.S., today’s announcement is historic, and one that benefits immigrant families, our communities, and our economy alike.”  

Many undocumented immigrants who are eligible for a green card through their U.S. citizen spouse can’t easily obtain that status because they originally entered the country without being “inspected and admitted or paroled.” People in that circumstance have to leave the country to complete the process of obtaining a green card, at risk of being barred from reentering for 10 years or in some cases permanently. After being granted parole, they will be able to apply for a green card without leaving the country and risking separation. 

There are other key challenges facing the eventual implementation of this policy. One is ensuring that the chronically-underfunded United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has the resources needed to process the incoming caseload.  

“The administration must do everything in its power to implement this program quickly and defend it aggressively given the stakes. It will help keep families together, allow thousands of people to fully contribute to their communities and our economy, and it is broadly supported by the American public,” said Loweree.