Apply for Immigration Program to Keep Your Family Together
You can apply for a new program, “Keeping American Families Together,” which seeks to keep married couples with one non-citizen spouse together. Immigration law Castillo & Associates can help you through the process. How does this work? We explain.
If you’re an immigrant and believe you qualify for this program, call a Castillo & Associates Southern California immigration lawyer at 800-497-9774 to learn more about it and what you can do to achieve permanent, legal immigration status by speaking to immigration attorney Domingo Castillo. Immigration law Castillo & Associates achieves success because we work with our clients.
Effort to Keep Families Intact While Awaiting Immigration Decisions
The Biden Administration announced this change in June. The US Citizenship and Immigration Service, part of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), has details about the program online on its Keeping Families Together web page and another page with an FAQ. DHS is limited to accepting applications that it can’t process due to a successful, if temporary, legal challenge in a Texas federal court, reports NBC News.
The Department of Homeland Security states it has the authority to grant parole to some noncitizens under the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). It allows some noncitizens who are “applicants for admission” to be present in the US temporarily if needed for urgent humanitarian reasons or a significant public benefit.
An “applicant for admission” is a noncitizen “present in the United States who has not been admitted.” Parole would only be available for an extended period for noncitizens in the US as they wait for a decision on their application for admission into the country. The Biden Administration estimates that as many as a half-million people may qualify.
Keeping Families Together may combine with other efforts to relieve some persons who have lived in the US long term without legal status. The goal is to clear administrative barriers that prevent many US citizens’ spouses and stepchildren from obtaining permanent residency in the US.
Qualifications Limit Participation to Long-Term Residents Without Criminal Past
Critical limitations for parole with Keeping Families Together for the spouse of a US citizen is the applicant must:
- Be in the US without current admission or parole
- Be in the US since June 17, 2014, or earlier through the Form I-131F application date
- Be legally married to a US citizen on or before June 17, 2024
- Not have a disqualifying criminal history and otherwise not be considered to be a threat to border security, public safety, or national security
- Submit biometrics data and have a background check and national security and public safety vetting completed
Qualification for the stepchildren of US citizens includes the following:
- Be younger than 21 and unmarried as of June 17, 2024
- Be in the US without parole or admission
- Been continuously physically present in the US from at least June 17, 2024, through the date of the request filing
- Have a noncitizen parent who was legally married to a US citizen on or before June 17, 2024, and before their 18th birthday
- Not have a disqualifying criminal history, and they’re not deemed to be a threat to border security, national security, or public safety
- Submit biometrics data and have completed background checks and public safety and national security vetting
If you have questions about whether you may qualify, don’t rely on social media and what someone tells you. We’re well-versed in working on clients’ immigration and legal status issues and understand how critical it can be to keep families intact. Talk to a Castillo & Associates immigration lawyer so we can give you accurate answers. Our immigration attorneys in the Inland Empire can also help you with many immigration matters, including spousal visas, green cards (permanent residency), and issues domestic violence victims face.
Successful Legal Challenge Limits Program to Accepting Applications, Not Reviewing or Acting on Them
In August, a federal judge for the US District Court for the Eastern District of Texas temporarily blocked the program but allowed applications to be filed. Attorneys general of 15 states and other groups filed the legal action challenging the Biden Administration’s authority to create the program. Litigation over the issue will continue.
Contact the Immigration Law Firm Castillo & Associates
Although Keeping Families Together has gotten off to a rough start, completing an application may be worth your while. Getting in line now may help you resolve the issue sooner than applying after the courts determine the program’s status.
Immigration law is complicated, but our immigration attorneys in the Inland Empire at Castillo & Associates can speak with you about applying for this program. We’re based in four Southern California offices, and our immigration lawyers have nearly 25 years of experience helping clients. To schedule a free consultation, call our immigration law firm at 800-497-9774.
Attorney Domingo Castillo handles workers’ compensation, personal injury, family law & immigration throughout Southern California from our 5 offices: Indio, Pomona, Riverside, San Diego & Cathedral City. We help clients file injury claims, obtain residency & citizenship, and we assist families through divorce, child custody and all family law matters.
