Immigration Relief for Military Families

Photo credit Official U.S. Navy Imagery on Flickr.

Under a new policy released last week, the spouses, children, and parents of active military troops and veterans are now eligible to apply for legal immigration status.

Spouses and relatives of citizens and green card holders could apply for status. But under existing law, undocumented immigrants have to leave the country while their status is pending, sometimes for years at a time. This new policy means that relatives of troops and veterans can apply from within the country under a status known as "parole in place."

Changes to immigration laws have not yet been realized. The Senate passed an immigration reform bill earlier this year, but the House seems unlikely to take action on it. Some have speculated that, because of the lack of Congressional action, President Obama will attempt to reform immigration through smaller policy changes such as this.

For more information, please see this New York Times article and this Associated Press article.