There are many young people who are the children of undocumented immigrants. These young people were brought to the U.S. when they were children. They lived in the U.S. their entire lives. The U.S. is the only country they know. Often, these young people do not speak the language of their native country. The U.S. government decided to help these young people and provide some benefits to those young people.
On June 15, 2012, the Department of Homeland Security announced that certain young people who meet the qualifications may request consideration for deferred action for a period of 2 years. You can apply for deferred action if you: (1) were under 31 years of age as of June 15, 2012; (2) came to the U.S. before you were 16 years old; (3) have continuously resided in the U.S. since June 15, 2007; (4) were physically present in the U.S. on June 15, 2012; (5) are currently in school, have graduated or received a GED certificate, or are an honorably discharged veteran of the Coast Guard or Armed Forces of the U.S., and (6) have not been convicted of a felony, significant misdemeanor or three or more other misdemeanors, and do not pose a threat to national security or public safety.
If you believe that you qualify for deferred action, how can you benefit? The recipients of deferred action are authorized to be in the U.S. and are considered to be lawfully present for as long as deferred action is in effect. You can get a work permit during the time you have deferred action. Deferred action is considered to be administrative relief from deportation. Deferred action is granted on a case-by-case basis. Deferred action is valid for 2 years and it can be renewed for an additional 2 years.
The future of the deferred action program is unclear. I encourage you to contact my office to learn if and how you can benefit from deferred action.