The decision by President Trump to rescind DACA may result in young Arizona residents being deported. These children are referred to as “dreamers”, and some wonder why they don’t try to apply for citizenship. However, the process of becoming a citizen first requires an individual to obtain permanent resident status. In some cases, this process can take up to 25 years to complete.
Those who wish to obtain their green card may do so in three different ways. One method is to apply for asylum or to be admitted into the country as a refugee. Another method is to have an employer sponsor a person who may then be granted permanent residency. The most common way a person gets this status is by waiting for a family member to seek permission to bring him or her into the country.
Each year, there are only 25,620 people who are allowed to legally immigrate from Mexico. There are currently about 1.3 million people on a wait list waiting for the ability to do so. In the case of most dreamers, they don’t have a family member who is either a citizen or has permanent residency status. Therefore, they may never have the chance to get their green card and apply for citizenship for themselves.
Those who are interested in getting a green card may wish to talk to a member of their country’s embassy or talk with an attorney. This may provide them with the information necessary to enter the United States legally. It may also make it easier to apply for citizenship after obtaining permanent resident status. An attorney may also be able to help those who are facing deportation or otherwise have questions about their legal status because of changes to immigration law.