The American Immigration Council reported the following good news last Friday: “The Obama Administration has announced that it will grant deferred action to undocumented youth who were brought to the United States as small children and who have been raised and educated in communities around the country. The announcement builds on the prosecutorial discretion initiatives already undertaken by the White House and Department of Homeland Security (DHS). This was done to ensure that eligible young people do not fall through the cracks, that resources are used wisely, and that humanitarian factors are considered when enforcing our immigration laws.

Deferred action does not give you permanent legal status or citizenship but rather is a way to allow those people, who have been in this country since they were young, to complete their education, continue their military service or begin their careers. The grant of deferred action will be issued on a case-by-case basis and is renewable every two years.

According to DHS, “deferred action will be offered to young people between the ages of 15-30 who came to the U.S. before the age of 16 and have been in the country for at least five years, have no criminal history and are in the country as of today.”