Current Immigration Bills in Congress: The RAC Act

Since the President of the United States withdrew DACA, Senators across the country have been working to try and come up with a plan that can help reform current immigration and protect immigrant who came here as children.  One of the bills introduced earlier this year was the Recognizing America’s Children Act (RAC Act).

The RAC Act

The RAC Act was introduced in March 2017 by Rep. Carlos Curbelo.  The RAC Act, if passed, would authorize the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to cancel the removal of an illegal immigrant, under circumstances, for an initial five-year period.  The purpose of this bill is to create a path for immigrants to gain citizenship.  However, it requires that the immigrant make a longer commitment to higher education, enrollment in the military, or a longer period of gainful employment.

In order to have this program available to them, the immigrant must have come to the United States before they were 16 years old, and must have lived in the United States since 2012.  If the immigrant is over the age of 18, he or she may be able to apply for conditional permanent resident status for five years.  However, this latter option would only be available if he or she had at least a high school diploma or certificate.  In addition, they must be admitted to a college and are authorized to work.  If the individual graduates college, spends at least three years in the military or is employed for a minimum of four years, then he or she can extend their status for 5 more years.  After he or she is granted the extension, they may be able to apply for lawful permanent resident and then, eventually, citizenship.

If you have any questions or concerns about any of the new bills aimed to reform current immigration law, you may want to contact an immigration attorney to help you understand your rights.

If you are in need of experienced legal counsel for matters regarding immigration, please contact the Law Offices of Salvatore A. Falletta, LLC and we would be happy to provide you with assistance