Biden’s 8-year path to citizenship

Biden’s 8-year path to citizenship

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Joe Biden’s recently-inaugurated administration is proposing a new immigration bill in the hopes of providing an eight-year path to citizenship for an estimated 11 million people that are living in the US without legal status. This is part of several changes in immigration policies that have already been taking place since January 20, 2021.

“The legislation puts Biden on track to deliver on a major campaign promise important to Latino voters and other immigrant communities after four years of President Donald Trump’s restrictive policies and mass deportations,” AP News wrote. 

The bill will provide one of the fastest ways to obtain citizenship for those currently living without legal status in the United States. However, as AP News explains, it fails to include the “traditional trade-off of enhanced border security favored by many Republicans, making passage in a narrowly divided Congress in doubt.”

Biden has said that this legislation is looking to “undo the damage” caused by Trump’s actions regarding immigration policies, while at the same time, border control is maintained.

As a candidate, Biden called Trump’s actions on immigration an “unrelenting assault” on American values and said he would “undo the damage” while maintaining border enforcement.

How is the path to citizenship going to be possible?

The legislation proposes that those living in the US as of January 1, 2021, without legal status, will have a five-year path to temporary status or a Green Card. This will only be possible if they pass background checks and pay their taxes, among other requirements. Then, if they want to pursue citizenship, it will take three years to obtain naturalization.

DREAMERS, which is how DACA recipients are often referred to, could be receiving citizenship faster. Nonetheless, the bill does not create new guest workers or other related visa programs.

Besides the 8-year immigration path, Biden has taken action regarding other immigration programs, such as the suspension of the “Remain in Mexico” policy and the halt to constructing the border wall. It is also expected for him to end the prohibition on arrivals from several Muslim countries.

What has taken place so far?

According to an article from the New York Times published on January 28, many migrants waiting at the Mexico-US border -who were hoping to see changes to their status as soon as Biden was proclaimed the new President – are becoming impatient.

“They said, ‘If we win, we’re going to solve this problem.’ But the days are going by, and I don’t see anything,” said Joel Fernández Cabrera, 52, a Cuban asylum seeker who has been living off and on in a camp located in the city of Matamoros. His petition for asylum remains in the American court system. “We’re beginning to disbelieve this administration,” he told the press.

Additionally, about a month before leaving office, Trump ordered a three-month extension of several immigration restrictions, which will now expire on March 31. Among them, there is a prohibition of some immigrant visa issuance for people seeking to move to the US permanently through a Green Card petition.

However, Biden will have to present strong reasons to Congress, according to an article by CBS News, for why he feels it is correct to undo these proclamations, despite their supposed benefits to the country’s economy.

For any questions about immigration in San Diego, contact an immigration lawyer who can guide you and help you today. At Kannan Law, we are ready to speak to you!