Young undocumented immigrants in America, the DREAMers, can apply for deferred action status. Undocumented youth who receive this status can remain legally in America for two years. DREAMers need to meet a variety of educational requirements to apply for this status. They need to be in high schools, graduated from high schools or hold general education development certificates to apply for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA).
USCIS has interpreted the educational requirement to include more options. According to the USCIS, undocumented youth in public and private schools can apply for deferred action status. Those who have enrolled in adult alternative education programs also can file their applications for this temporary status. This includes GED, ESL and job training programs.
Such educational programs include programs funded by federal or state grants. At the same time, programs funded by other sources also may qualify for DACA purposes. USCIS says that the applicants need to establish that the institutions in which they have enrolled meet the DACA requirements.
Those who have enrolled in schools or graduated from high schools and who have obtained GEDs, can apply for DACA. If they do not meet the educational requirements, they need to establish that they are honorably discharged veterans of the Coast Guard or the U.S. Armed Forces. DREAMers who are looking to apply for deferred action need to remember that they cannot file their applications for this temporary status, if they were in schools but did not graduate. Likewise, undocumented youth who are not in schools and who are not honourably discharged veterans, are ineligible for deferred action status.
DREAMers applying for deferred action status must be under the age of 31. They need to be above age 16 and must have got into the United States before they turned 16. They need to establish that they got into the country as undocumented immigrants or as non-immigrants. They must have been living in the country continuously since 15th June, 2007 up to the present time. They must have been present in America on 15th June, 2012, the date on which this program was implemented. Moreover, they must not have been convicted of felonies or misdemeanors and must be admissible into the country.
