FACT SHEET: Fixing our Broken Immigration System so Everyone Plays by the Rules - Page 2

It's not that I don't want to go to school. I was in fact planning on it. I just thought that DACA applicants that have been approved would be able to just apply for a green card. I think we will have to wait to see all the details closer to the bill actually passing. A lot of this could change. I think these are just general guidelines and ideas at the moment. School and the military I think are just two options to make the process even faster.

Gotcha!

No man, it's mandatory. Remember, you have to 'earn' your opportunity to live here. There's the other option of going to the back of the line, but that would take forever.....

Yea I'm not so sure I can co-sign on that yet. This is just framework. It's not a finalized legislation yet. From what I understand, the people that have to earn their citizenship are the people that knowingly came here illegally and are completed undocumented. I came here legally, filed all the correct papers, but filed my I-130 late causing me to fall out of status. I've applied for DACA and I'm still waiting on an approval. I shouldn't have to go to the back of the line when I've been on a path to a green card since the day I came to the US, at age seven. As far as school and the military, thats talking about the original DREAMers who went to school already or joined the military for two years. They will be prioritized for that.

Ok... but if you applied for DACA that means you are out of status. If CIR passes you'll have one of two options. Apply as a Dreamer or non-Dreamer. You're not the only person who entered this country legally and later on fell out of status because somewhere along the path to legalize they got screwed over.

And I'm not sure what you mean by the last part. Whether a Dreamer has already completed school or not the end result will be the same. If I recall correctly, previous versions of the Dream Act gave "conditional" residency for a period of time (like 4 years in one version I think). After that period of time, if a dreamer met the conditions under the bill, they would be issued permanent residency. In the case that a Dreamer would have already finished their schooling, all they'd have to do is chill for 4 years(or whatever length of time was specified). After that they'd get their green card.

I get what you're saying, I'm just having a hard time buying in to that fact that once reform passes, I will HAVE to join the military or go to school for two years before I can even begin to apply for a green card. I also don't see how I could apply as a non-Dreamer when from what I understand, a non-Dreamer is someone who came here after the age of 16.

Not necessarily. If a person chose NOT to go back to school or join the military that would be their alternative. I know a person who COULD qualify for the Dream Act if they were to get a GED but they refuse to do so (out of ignorance). The only other option they have under a future reform is applying as a non-Dreamer.

A GED? I thought it was two years in college that you have to have? I graduated high school with a diploma and didn't go to college after.

Right but to qualify for the Dream Act you have to have either graduated from high school or obtained a GED (or be in the process of doing so). To meet the conditions to eventually get a green card you have to do 2 years of college or military. I was just trying to illustrate how you could potentially qualify to either apply as a Dreamer or non-Dreamer if a CIR were to pass this year.

So DreamerW thinks just because he came here legally, had a process rolling already, he deserves a faster route? Am I reading this right