Executive Actions on Immigration

On November 20, 2014, President Obama announced a series of executive actions that will expand the options available to immigrants within the United States. Please read the following information to see if you, your family or friends may benefit from these changes.The President's initiatives include:

• Allowing parents of U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents who have continuously resided in the United States since January 1, 2010, to request deferred action and employment authorization for three years, provided they pass background checks and other requirements.

• Expanding the population eligible for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program to young people who came to this country since January 1, 2010, and extending the period of DACA work authorization from two years to three years.

• Expanding the use of provisional waivers of unlawful presence to include the spouses and sons and daughters of lawful permanent residents and the sons and daughters of U.S. citizens

• The authorization of parole to certain inventors, researchers and founders of start-up enterprises who may not yet qualify for a national interest waiver, but who have been awarded substantial U.S. investor financing or otherwise hold the promise of innovation and job creation through the development of new technologies or the pursuit of cutting-edge research

• The ability of individuals with an approved employment-based immigrant petition who are caught in the quota backlogs to file for adjustment of status will be advanced to permit them to obtain the benefits of a pending adjustment.

USCIS and other agencies and offices are responsible for implementing these initiatives. Some initiatives will be implemented over the next several months while others will take longer.While USCIS is not accepting requests or applications at this time, if you believe you may be eligible for one of the initiatives listed above, you can prepare by gathering documents that establish your:

• Identity;
• Relationship to a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident; and
• Continuous residence in the United States over the last five years or more.

Beware of anyone who offers to help you submit an application or a request for any of these actions before they are available. You could become a victim of an immigration scam.Please call or email our office for any updates regarding these new initiatives.