Deferred Action

On June 15, 2012, Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano announced that effective immediately, certain young people who were brought to the United States as young children, do not present a risk to national security or public safety, and meet several key criteria will be considered for relief from removal from the country or from entering into removal proceedings.

Those who demonstrate that they meet the criteria will be eligible to receive deferred action for a period of two years, subject to renewal, and will be eligible to apply for work authorization.
Under this directive, individuals who demonstrate that they meet certain will be eligible for an exercise of discretion, specifically deferred action, on a case by case basis.

You may qualify for deferred action if:

You were not above the age of 30 on June 15, 2012;
You came to the United States under the age of 16;
You have continuously resided in the United States for at least five years before June 15, 2012;
You were physically present in the United States on June 15, 2012;
You are currently in school, have graduated from high school, have obtained a GED, or are an honorably discharged veteran of the Coast Guard or Armed Forces of the United States; and,
You have not been convicted of a felony offense, a significant misdemeanor offense, multiple misdemeanor offenses, or otherwise pose a threat to national security or public safety.

Please note - even relatively minor misdemeanors may disqualify you from deferred action. Accordingly, we strongly recommend that you first verify whether you have any criminal record.