Biden’s Parole in Place

President Biden against all odds defied critics, Trump’s election punches and GOP immigration restrictionists as he unlocked an ability for undocumented spouses of US citizens to legalize through a Parole in Place situation, which is a pathway towards legalization depending on their case status and immigration situation. The DHS outlined the basics of this new administrative action, to qualify individuals must: 1. Be present in the United States without admission or parole, this means if you over stayed your visa or you are paroled or legally admitted at any point of your immigration history, you won’t qualify under the expanded Parole in Place executive action of Biden. 2. Have been continuously present in the United States for at least 10 years as of June 17, 2024 and Have a legally valid marriage to a U.S. citizen as of June 17, 2024. USCIS further adds, “In addition, individuals must have no disqualifying criminal history or otherwise constitute a threat to national security or public safety and should otherwise merit a favorable exercise of discretion. Noncitizen children of potential requestors may also be considered for parole under this process if they are physically present in the United States without admission or parole and have a qualifying stepchild relationship to a U.S. citizen as of June 17, 2024.” The White House states that “this action will protect approximately half a million spouses of U.S. citizens, and approximately 50,000 noncitizen children under the age of 21 whose parent is married to a U.S. citizen.” Later this summer, additional information on the application process including the fees involved will be released by the DHS. In addition to the Parole in Place expanded version for non-citizen US spouses, the Biden administration also expanded the details of the current DACA policies in place, the new policy change applies to those individuals who have earned a degree at an accredited US institution of higher education and received an offer of employment will now have new abilities to quickly receive their work visas, the White House remarked that “Recognizing that it is in our national interest to ensure that individuals who are educated in the U.S. are able to use their skills and education to benefit our country, the Administration is taking action to facilitate the employment visa process for those who have graduated from college and have a high-skilled job offer, including DACA recipients and other Dreamers.”