WASHINGTON – United States President Joe Biden proposed new immigration plan the government plans to register undocumented spouses and children of US citizens.
The new immigration policy aims to protect around half million American families and 50,000 noncitizen children of immigrants under 21 whose parent is married to a US national.
The announcement is sigh of relief for undocumented immigrants, similar in scale to the DACA program announced by previous government in 2012.
The new policy apparently intended to appeal to key Latino constituencies in battleground states. The eligibility criteria include living in the US for at least 10 years and being legally married to a US citizen.
The application process is expected to open by the end of the summer. The executive action is already facing legal challenges, but Joe Biden administration believes it is within its legal authority.
The policy change will be beneficial for those individuals who lived in the US for at least 10 years to apply for legal status while staying with their families.
Biden's move however is in contrast with ex-President Donald Trump’s policies that separated families at the border.