Important New Bills Voted on by the House – “Dreamers” and Farmworkers

The House has recently voted in favor of two new bills. The American Dream and Promise Act, as well as the Farm Workforce Modernization Act. These bills have the potential to make a major impact on the lives of many immigrants. Read on to learn more about these new bills, what they entail, and what you can expect going forward.

What Are the New Bills

Recently, the House voted to pass the American Dream and Promise Act. This proposal would allow more than 2.3 million unauthorized immigrants who came to the U.S. as minors, as well as beneficiaries of certain temporary humanitarian programs, to gain permanent legal status and eventually, U.S. citizenship. These immigrants are referred to as “dreamers.” The House also passed the Farm Workforce Modernization Act. According to CBSnews.com, this “would grant legal status to hundreds of thousands of farmworkers living in the U.S. without authorization.”

If They Become Laws, What Can We Expect?

CBSnews.com has broken down what these acts would accomplish if they become laws:

• The American Dream and Promise Act would make recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program and other undocumented immigrants brought to the country before age 18 eligible to apply for a 10-year period of conditional permanent residence, provided they satisfy a number of residency requirements.
• Applicants would be eligible to apply for permanent residence if they:
  • Earned a college degree or enrolled in a bachelor’s program for two years
  • Served in the military for at least two years
  • Worked in the U.S. for a three-year period.
• More than 300,000 immigrants living in the U.S. with Temporary Protected Status and Deferred Enforced Departure, two provisional forms of humanitarian relief, would automatically be eligible to apply for permanent residency under the bill, if they meet eligibility requirements.
• The Farm Workforce Modernization Act would allow immigrant farmworkers to apply for a temporary and renewable immigration status if they have worked at least 180 days in the U.S. during a two-year period.
• Eligible workers would be allowed to request green cards if they complete four or eight years of additional agricultural work, depending on whether they have performed such work for more than or less than 10 years.

Reach out to an experienced immigration attorney for more information.

Contact Our Firm

Katona & Associates, PLLC is an experienced, highly dedicated New York City immigration law firm located in lower Manhattan. Our firm works with clients in all matters of immigration law, including employment immigration, family immigration, deportation defense, green cards, and citizenship. Contact us to discuss your case and get the help you need.