President Biden proposed a comprehensive plan on immigration as one of his first acts in office. He sent a plan to Congress for approval. The plan must be approved by both the House and the Senate and then signed by the President before it becomes law. The plan provides a pathway to naturalization for undocumented immigrants living in the country, usage of technology at the border, and addresses the cause of incoming immigration from Central America.
President Biden promised during his presidential campaign that he would make immigration a priority as a president. This promise is fundamentally different from former President Donald Trump who specifically targeted immigration. Biden's plan will allow undocumented immigrants to achieve naturalization within eight years, then apply for green cards once they have met certain requirements, and lastly be allowed to apply for naturalization after three years.
Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) would be allowed to apply for green cards immediately in President Biden's plan and then they would be eligible for citizenship after 3 years with their green card. Vice President Kamala Harris stated in an interview with Univision that the administration would work on reducing the number of years that it takes an average applicant to go from applying for a green card to obtaining citizenship. The current average time is thirteen years, and the new administration would like to decrease that to an average of eight years. If Biden's plan becomes law, a person who was present in the United States before January 1, 2021 could apply for a green card so long as they did not have criminal convictions and they passed health and security background checks. If approved, they would be granted temporary status for 5 years and then would be eligible to apply for a green card. Then, they would be eligible for citizenship after 3 years with their green card. In addition to this plan, the administration will focus on reconnecting families separated at the U.S.-Mexico border, stopping the construction of the border wall, removing financial restrictions on obtaining a green card, undoing Trump's executive orders regarding asylum, and restoring DACA.
Please note that this plan is not yet law. Please call Pikes Peak Immigration for a consultation or to schedule a meeting with the attorney to ask how this proposed plan could impact your case.