US Green Card: Joe Biden’s new citizenship plan to provide relief to half a million immigrants. Who can apply

As immigration becomes a headache for President Joe Biden as the election approaches, the White House has announced measures that offer relief to hundreds of thousands of immigrants potentially living in the country.

The Biden administration said Tuesday that under the new plan, in the coming months, spouses of some U.S. citizens who are in the country without legal status will be able to apply for permanent residency and eventually citizenship. This will directly benefit more than half a million immigrants.

Who will be eligible for the new plan:

An immigrant who has lived in the United States for 10 years as of Monday and is married to a U.S. citizen will be eligible for the new rule.

About 50,000 non-citizen children with a parent married to a U.S. citizen could also potentially benefit from the same process, according to senior administration officials who briefed reporters on the proposal on condition of anonymity.

There are no requirements for how long the couple must be married, and no one becomes eligible after Monday. “This means that immigrants who reach this 10-year milestone after June 17, 2024 will not be eligible for the program,” they said.

What benefits will skilled immigrants receive:

Once approved, the skilled immigrant would have three years to apply for a green card, receive a temporary work permit, and be protected from deportation in the meantime.

Senior administration officials have said they anticipate the process will be open to applications by the end of the summer, and the application fee has not yet been determined.

Biden will speak about his plans at an event Tuesday afternoon at the White House, which will also mark the 12th anniversary of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, a popular Obama-era directive that provided protections against deportation and temporary work permits to young immigrants without legal status.

White House officials have privately encouraged House Democrats, who are in recess this week, to return to Washington to attend the announcement.

(With contributions from agencies)