President Obama's New Immigration Program

Experienced immigration attorneys have a message for immigrants who want to apply for President Obama’s new deportation relief programs: proceed with caution.

The President recently announced that his administration will extend deportation relief and offer work permits to up to 5 million immigrants who entered the country illegally or overstayed a visa.

The applications for the new programs likely won’t be released until early 2015, so it’s too early to make the decision to apply.  Only once the actual regulations and forms have been issued can one begin applying.

The President will extend deportation relief to an estimated 3.7 million parents of children with U.S. citizenship or permanent residency. Another 1.5 million could be eligible for a program aimed at people brought to the U.S. as children.

If and when this program goes into effect, it will help many people currently living in the United States who are out of status. One should be aware that the move is temporary; successful applicants will be granted a renewable three-year work permit, with no path to citizenship.

Once federal immigration officials begin the application process, prospective applicants should consult a lawyer to make sure they meet eligibility requirements, since an application for deportation relief does not provide confidentiality and can be used against the applicant later on.

For those who meet the qualifications, the biggest question will be whether to risk sharing their personal information with the federal government when the next president could roll back the changes, and potentially use the application data to target them for deportation. Still, the rewards will outweigh the risk for many immigrants living in the shadows.

Applications won’t be available for at least a few months, but people interested in deportation relief can begin prepare to apply. Applicants will need to prove their residence in the United States and should collect old leases, credit card bills, wage statements and tax returns, even if they were filed using a different name or Social Security number.

For further information or questions you may have, please do not hesitate to contact The Law Offices of Michael H. Markovitch.