As the date draws nearer to the policy change announcement promised in President Obama’s June 15th address, we caution Dream Act candidates to be wary of scammers.
The Prosecutorial Discretion Policy promises to prioritize deportation of undocumented immigrants, placing Dream Act candidates at the bottom of the totem pole and create a path for them to obtain temporary legal status.
This temporary legal status is rumored to be along the lines of a two-year work permit with the option for extension. Definitely not amnesty and maybe not even a path to citizenship, but certainly better than deportation of people who are in all meanings of the word except paperwork –Americans. People raised in the U.S., educated in the U.S., and inundated with U.S. culture and customs.
Who’s eligible? USCIS statements decree that you will be eligible for the policy if you (1) came to the U.S. before your sixteenth birthday; (2) have lived in the U.S. continuously in the five years prior to June 15, 2012 and were in the U.S. on June 15; (3) are currently in school, have at least a GED, or are an honorably discharged veteran; (4) have not been convicted of a felony, do not have any significant misdemeanors, multiple misdemeanors, or are otherwise a threat to public safety; and (5) are under 30 years of age.
LET’S BE CLEAR. There is no policy and therefore the only thing you can do to prepare is to collect documentation such as proof of residency, school records and criminal records (if applicable). Do NOT give your money to anyone who claims they can help you. Not even a lawyer. There is no law, no policy, no nothing except the President making a general statement and some guidelines on a government website. At this point, it is only a promise and promises don’t garner much weight in the American justice system.