Young illegal immigrants can now step out of the shadows. President Obama's new immigration policy goes into effect Wednesday. In June the President issued an executive order that allows young illegal immigrants to apply for two-year work permits and defer deportation. It's something workers at Casa Guanajuanto Quad Cities said many people in our area can benefit from.
"We have had a tremendous amount of response, people have been calling left and right, calling making appointments with our attorney and really looking at what are their options," said Michael Woods, Director of Casa Guanajuanto Quad Cities.
Woods said his staff has been keeping very busy fielding calls and setting up appointments to help people fill out the applications.
"It's a daunting process, the key thing is to apply for something you are eligible for."
So who is eligible? Woods said the policy was created for the "dreamers" or immigrants whose parents brought them here as kids. To qualify people must have come to the U.S. before they turned 16 and they can't be 31 as of June this year. They also must have continuously lived in the U.S. since 2007 and either be in school, have received a high school diploma or GED, or have been honorably discharged from the military. Applicants cannot have any felonies or serious misdemeanors as well and a $465 fee is required.
"That's why you really want to use an attorney because you would not want to apply for something if you know you are ineligible and the government will not refund that money back if you are ineligible," Woods said.
While Woods said there are still a lot of uncertainties about the new policy, for example no one knows what will happen when the two-year work permits expire, he said there are lot of positives for young people.
"I think this is exciting in that it's going to allow those individuals to work and be able to go to school. They can contribute back to community and contribute back to their individual development in terms of revenue to be able to go to college."
The work permits are not a path to citizenship. Casa Guanajuato Quad Cities does have a legal staff that can help people who wish to apply. For more information go to www.casaqc.org.
