President Obama has plans to announce a 10-part immigration plan as early as Nov. 21 to revamp the current  immigration policy. This new plan would “expand a policy of deferring action on deportation” and offer nearly  4.5 million undocumented individuals a path to citizenship, according to estimates.

 

The executive order comes years after the president first described the immigration system as being “broken.”

 

Now sources close to the White House say the plan will likely include:

 

  • An expanded deferred action policy— essentially a deportation reprieve— for immigrants who entered the U.S illegally as children; plus, deferred action for the parents of U.S. citizens/legal permanent residents.

  • Based on the guidelines for this “deferred action,” individuals would also receive authorization to work in the country along with Social Security numbers and government issued IDs.

  • An expansion to the 2012 deferred action program which accounted for immigrants who entered the U.S. as children prior to June 2007 (and under the age of 31 as of June 2012). The proposed change would expand the bubble to cover “anyone who entered before they were 16” and alter the cut-off date from June 2007 to Jan. 1 2010. This amendment would allow an additional 300,000 illegal immigrants to become eligible.

  • A fifty percent discount on the first 10,000 applicants for the new naturalization process; excluding individuals who earn incomes 200 percent above poverty.

  • A pay raise for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers to “increase morale.”

 

The president is adamant about enacting change in regards to the current immigration policy before the end of the year. In a press conference last week he said, “I feel obliged to do everything I can lawfully with my executive authority to make sure that we don’t keep on making the system worse.”

 

As the week progresses we’ll get a better sense of the president’s next move but the White House asserts that he won’t make an ultimate decision until he returns from his trip through Asia on Nov. 16.

Conclusion

As of this point in time, no official changes have been made to U.S. immigration laws and policies. We recommend that individuals consult with an immigration attorney if they believe these proposed changes may affect their current status. Our team will work one-on-one with you to identify your options and choose the best course of action thereafter.