Biden to legalise status of undocumented spouse

A new policy that would shield hundreds of thousands of undocumented spouses of US citizens from deportation is set to be announced by US President Joe Biden.

As per a report published today by the BBC, individuals who have resided in the nation for a minimum of ten years will be eligible for this change, which will also grant them the legal right to work in the US.

According to the report, the US President's action is the biggest relief effort for undocumented immigrants living in the country since the Obama administration's 2012 announcement of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or Daca.

The White House anticipates benefits for over 500,000 US citizen spouses as well as for 50,000 children under 21 whose parents are US citizens.

Remember that Biden pledged to make the US immigration system “more fair and more just” earlier in June? According to polls, a lot of voters are very concerned about immigration in the run-up to this November's presidential election.

The announcement is made in advance of a celebration on Tuesday to commemorate the 12-year anniversary of the Daca programme, which prevented the deportation of over 530,000 immigrants who entered the US as minors and are known as Dreamers.

According to the BBC report, the White House also intends to expedite and simplify the visa application process for highly qualified undocumented immigrants, or Dreamers, who have been offered jobs in their field or have degrees from US universities.