Congressman Goldman Joins Bipartisan Legislation to Provide Legal Immigration Status to College Graduates in the United States
Bipartisan ‘America's CHILDREN Act’ Would Provide a Track to Legal Permanent Residency
Read the Bill Here
Washington, D.C. – Congressman Dan Goldman (NY-10) joined Congresswoman Deborah Ross (NC-02) in introducing the bipartisan ‘America's CHILDREN Act’ to provide lawful permanent resident status for certain college graduates who entered the United States as children and were dependents of individuals with work visas. This bill aims to provide legal protections to children who, because they have maintained a legal status throughout their lives, are ineligible for protections from the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.
“There are over 200,000 young people who came through legal pathways to this country with their families as children, who have lived their entire lives in this country, but who still don’t have the protections they need to remain here,” Congressman Dan Goldman said. “Documented Dreamers, through no fault of their own, are left with no recourse to stay in the United States – despite maintaining legal immigration status throughout their entire childhoods. No one should ever be punished for following the letter of our law and contributing to our great nation."
Over 200,000 children and young adults are living in the United States as dependents of long-term nonimmigrant visa holders (including H-1B, L-1, E-1, and E-2 workers). These individuals grow up in the United States, attend American schools, and graduate from American universities. Because they have maintained legal status, Documented Dreamers are not eligible for protection under DACA or the work authorization that comes with it.
The ‘America’s CHILDREN Act’ would:
Allow individuals to obtain permanent residency if they were brought to the United States as dependent children of workers admitted under employment visas, have maintained status in the United States for 10 years (including eight years as dependents), and have graduated from an institution of higher education;
Protect any child who has been in the United States for an aggregate of eight years before the age of 21 as a dependent of an employment-based nonimmigrant by allowing them to remain a dependent on their parent’s nonimmigrant visa until they can find another status;
Establish age-out protections that lock in a child’s age on the date on which their parents file for a green card;
Provide work authorization for individuals qualifying for age-out protection.
Congressman Goldman is committed to addressing the long-standing issues with the American immigration system.
In November of last year, Goldman introduced the bipartisan ‘Children’s Court Act’ that would create a Children’s Immigration Court specialized to handle sensitive cases and reduce strain on immigration courts nationwide.
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