One of the main agendas of the Obama administration is immigration law reform. As part of this reform is the Dream Act. This act is sponsored by Senator Durban from Illinois and Senator Lugar from Indiana, etc. The main purpose of this law is to allow those illegal immigrants who were brought to the United States by their parents when they were young. And that they have been educated in local schools with fellow Americans and are therefore eligible to become permanent residents.
To be eligible under this program, these immigrants must be admitted to a university or vocational school in some type of academic program that attends higher education. Another possible option is to join the US military. A conditional residency could be applied for if specific requirements such as the above are met. After obtaining a receipt of the educational title or its equivalent (2 years) in the first 6 years after filing the petition, the immigrant could become a resident by law.
Under the Dream Act, the undocumented immigrant should have been brought to the United States when he or she was under the age of sixteen. With this, he should have resided in the United States for 5 continuous years. He must have good English language skills. Those immigrants who are conditional residents under the Dream Act can take advantage of educational loans. However, they are not eligible for Pell Grants. Every year, about sixty-five thousand students can become permanent residents as long as they follow the regulations in force under the immigration laws.
The main objective of this Law is to guarantee the improvised use of the taxes paid. This is being planned to be implemented in the education of these undocumented immigrants in various schools across the country. Additionally, they would be allowed to become legal residents if they agree to further study or serve in the military.
It should be noted here that most of these immigrants are young and have spent more time or most of their lives as illegal immigrants. Most likely, they were brought to the United States by their parents when they were minors. They may even have never been to their native country. The Dream Act could be seen as reforming the nation in a much better way, as young immigrants will contribute to the US economy in the near future. Therefore, spending a few million could generate billions at a later stage. Therefore, they could be considered as assets.
However, the Dream Act and the other legislation may be merged in some way, which may become the basis for this year’s immigration law reform. If Congress does not pass other similar measures, the Dream Act would be implemented minus the other measures. Still, this is a new ray of light for these immigrants.