Biden administration to open citizenship path for undocumented spouses

The White House announced that President Joe Biden's administration will allow some immigrants to apply for American citizenship in the coming months. This applies to approximately 500,000 people who are spouses of U.S. citizens and do not have legal status.

An immigrant who has lived in the United States for at least 10 years and is married to an American spouse can apply for American citizenship.

If the request is approved, the immigrant will have three years to apply for a green card and receive a temporary work permit. During this time, they will be protected from deportation.

White House officials who requested anonymity from the media stated that approximately 50,000 children of immigrants married to U.S. citizens may also qualify for this process.

Biden's plan does not specify how long the couple must be married. However, individuals who married after Monday cannot take advantage of this opportunity.

According to officials, the process will be open until the end of the summer. Application fees have not yet been determined.

Biden will present details of the plan on Tuesday, the 12th anniversary of President Barack Obama's introduction of the DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) program. This directive prevents the deportation of immigrants who arrived in the U.S. as children, allowing them access to legal education and employment.

The U.S. President will also announce new regulations allowing some DACA beneficiaries and young immigrants to apply for long-term work visas more easily. This means that immigrants will be provided with more robust protection than the work permits offered by DACA. Currently, DACA is not accepting new applications.

At the beginning of June, President Biden suspended the possibility of asylum requests from immigrants who illegally crossed the border from Mexico. Immigrant rights organizations sued the U.S. administration in connection with the introduction of this directive.