Great News for Foreign Students: DREAM Act Re-Introduced in Congress
The Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act (also called “The DREAM Act”) was re-introduced in Congress yesterday.
The bill provides that certain immigrant students who graduate from an American High School, are of good moral character, arrived in the U.S. as children, and have been in the U.S. continuously for a period of at least five years before the bill’s enactment, will be eligible to apply for conditional permanent residence status.
Qualified foreign national students would be allowed conditional residence for 6 years.
Within that six year period, the student must attend college and earn a two year degree, or serve in the U.S. armed forces for at least two years to qualify for U.S. citizenship after the six year period.
The DREAM Act is a bipartisan proposal which would create a pathway to citizenship for thousands of young students who were brought to the United States years ago as children.
The DREAM Act was first introduced in 2001.
From 2002 to 2006, numerous versions of the bill have been introduced in Congress.
In May 2006, the bill passed the full Senate as part of the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act (CIR) of 2006.
But the bill did not get out of the Senate and, consequently, there was no Dream Act.
Supporters of the bill argue that If Congress fails to pass the DREAM Act this year, then another graduating class of bright, law-abiding high school students will graduate without being able to go to college or the armed forces.
Some would even be deported to countries they hardly know.
