Thread: Youth Immigration Program Gets 180,000 Applicants

October 12, 2012, 5:05 p.m. ET

Youth Immigration Program Gets 180,000 Applicants

By MIRIAM JORDAN

About 180,000 young illegal immigrants have applied for a two-year reprieve from deportation under a new immigration program, and 4,591 cases have been approved, the Department of Homeland Security said Friday.

The program, known as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, opened on Aug. 15 after being put in place by the Obama administration. It protects eligible immigrants from deportation and allows them to apply for a work permit.

But the program doesn't offer legal residency or a path to citizenship, and participants must reapply for authorization every two years.

Among other criteria, applicants must provide documentation showing they arrived in the U.S. before they were 16 years old, are under the age of 31 and have lived continuously in the U.S for the past five years.

Some potential applicants are struggling with documentation—including problems associated with overseas birth certificates—and legal advice, advocates say.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, a unit of Homeland Security, anticipates most cases will take four to six months to decide.

Once an application is complete, applicants are fingerprinted and photographed and then a background check is performed before a final decision is made to grant deferred action.

Write to Miriam Jordan at miriam.jordan@wsj.com

Youth Immigration Program Gets 180,000 Applicants - WSJ.com

About 4,500 immigrants spared deportation

By ALICIA A. CALDWELL
Associated Press
Updated: 2012-10-12T21:09:34Z

WASHINGTON -- The Obama administration has approved more 4,500 young illegal immigrants for a program to let them stay in the United States and get a work permit.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services said Friday about 180,000 people have applied for the administration's Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program announced this summer. As of Wednesday, 4,591 applications had been approved. Those people will also get permission to work.

To date, no applications have been rejected but Homeland Security officials said it could take at least two months after an application is received for it to be declined. If more information is need from an applicant, the process could take even longer.

The government started accepting applications on Aug. 15 and it had been expected that final decisions could take several months. DHS has said the time to approve applications is expected to slow in coming months.

About 4,500 immigrants spared deportation - KansasCity.com