Immigration Benefits and Relief
The immigration laws and regulations provide some avenues to apply for lawful status from within the U.S. or to seek relief from deportation. The eligibility requirements for these benefits and relief can be stringent, and the immigration agencies often adopt overly restrictive interpretations of the requirements. Learn about advocacy and litigation that has been and can be undertaken to ensure that noncitizens have a fair chance to apply for the benefits and relief for which they are eligible. Providing avenues for legal status, protection, and family reunification is vital to ensuring humanitarian protection for immigrants. We are leading policy changes that open more opportunities like asylum, visas for victims of crime or human trafficking, and relief for long-term residents. Explore the resources below to learn more.
President Provides Immediate Relief, Creates Architecture for Reform
Washington D.C. – After decades of congressional neglect, tonight President Obama took a crucial and courageous step toward reforming our immigration system. He announced that he will provide immediate relief for many of those impacted by of our broken system, and he… Read More
The Power of DACA Continues to Grow
June 15 marked the two-year anniversary of President Obama’s announcement of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) Program. DACA temporarily defers the deportation of eligible undocumented youth and young adults, and grants them access to renewable two-year work permits and Social Security Numbers. As of March 2014,… Read More
Two Years and Counting: Assessing the Growing Power of DACA
This week marks the two-year anniversary of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) Program, first initiated by President Obama on June 15, 2012. This research brief presents current findings from the National UnDACAmented Research Project (NURP) national survey on the impact that DACA has had on some of the young people who have received it. Read More
District Court Decides Some TPS Beneficiaries May Finally Become Lawful Permanent Residents
When a massive earthquake leveled much of Haiti, and when civil war broke out in Syria, the U.S. government did not blindly send Haitians and Syrians home to near-certain death. Instead, the government did the humane thing and offered safe haven to nationals of those countries who were here… Read More
Supreme Court Decides Immigrants Can “Age-Out” of Visa Petitions
In Scialabba v. Cuellar de Osorio, a heavily-divided Supreme Court ruled against thousands of aspiring young immigrants who were included on their parents’ visa petitions as minors, but who turned 21—known as “aging-out”—before visas became available. Aging-out is tantamount to someone losing his place in the visa line… Read More
USCIS Anuncia Procedimiento para Renovación de DACA
En el día de ayer el Servicio de Ciudadanía e Inmigración de los Estados Unidos (USCIS) anunció los términos del proceso para la renovación de la Acción Diferida para los Llegados en la Infancia (DACA). Mediante la renovación de DACA, aquellos individuos que actualmente ya cuentan con el beneficio… Read More
The DACA Renewal Process: Everything You Need to Know
Today, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced the renewal process for hundreds of thousands of young noncitizens who received a grant of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). Renewal of DACA ensures current DACA holders will continue to be safe from deportation for another two year period. … Read More
District Court Rules Grant of TPS Is an Admission for Adjustment of Status Purposes
Washington, D.C.–The American Immigration Council welcomes last week’s ruling by the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington, which held that a noncitizen’s grant of Temporary Protected Status (TPS)… Read More
Immigration Council Urges Broad Interpretation of § 212(h) Hardship Waiver
On May 19, 2014, the American Immigration Council and the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) filed an amicus curiae brief urging the Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit to rehear Roberts v. Holder, 745 F.3d 928 (8th Cir. 2014). In that case, the court narrowly interpreted the hardship waiver… Read More
New Data Show More Than Half a Million Immigrants Granted DACA
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) posted new Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) statistics on Thursday, revealing that over 550,000 individuals have now been granted DACA. The data, which is current through March 2014, indicate that USCIS has accepted nearly 650,000 requests. Over the past six months,… Read More
