News / Law
What are the Requirements for Deferred Action for Young Immigrants?
New York, NY- With just a week to go before the USCIS begins taking applications for deferred action, many of the hopeful “dreamers” may be wondering what type of documentation they will need to prove their eligibility.
To be considered for deferred action the applicant must at least 15 years old and no older than 30. Those applying must have been brought into the country before the age of 17 and attended school, college, have a GED, or served in the military.
Applicants with a serious criminal conviction or significant misdemeanor are not eligible. Felony convictions for sex crimes, drug offenses, burglary, assault and murder will make an applicant ineligible. Misdemeanors are considered significant if the applicant spent 90 days or more in jail.
If a person was previously deported they are not eligible for deferred action.
The applicant must provide documentation to prove they were brought into the country as a young person. The USCIS will accept financial records, school records, medical records, employment records and military records.
Despite the criticisms, deferred action doesn’t mean the applicant will be given backdoor amnesty or automatic citizenship, instead it means that that young people will have the right to obtain a work visa and no longer face deportation starting on August 15th 2012.
Applicants for the deferred action program must pay a $465 fee which covers a background check, a biometric test and processing.
Obtaining a work visa is the first step in naturalization process; after an immigrant has satisfied their residency requirements and have abided by all the laws they can then hire an immigration attorney and apply for citizenship.
