How Does the New “Keeping Families Together” Program Work?
On June 18, President Biden announced Keeping Families Together, a new process to help certain undocumented spouses of U.S. citizens and their undocumented children apply for Parole in Place (PIP). Keeping Families Together will allow these noncitizens to apply for adjustment of status and receive a Green Card without having to travel overseas to a consulate or embassy.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) estimates that there are at least 500,000 noncitizen spouses of U.S. citizens and 50,000 noncitizen children that could benefit from Keeping Families Together. To qualify for this program, you must:
- Be present in the United States without admission or parole (cannot have been lawfully admitted and then stayed past your visa expiration date)
- Have been continuously present in the United States for at least 10 years as of June 17, 2024
- Have a legally valid marriage to a U.S. citizen as of June 17, 2024
In addition, your criminal history, immigration history, and the results of background and national security checks will be considered when your application is reviewed.
Noncitizen children of qualifying spouses of U.S. citizens may also be considered for PIP as long as they are physically present in the United States, are under 21, are unmarried, and were younger than 18 at the time of their parent’s marriage to the U.S. citizen.
People who are granted PIP through Keeping Families Together will become immediately eligible to apply for work authorization using Form I-765.
The application process opened on August 19, 2024. Applicants will need to submit Form I-131F using the USCIS online filing website. There is no paper-filing option for this form. The fee to file this form is $580 dollars and a separate form must be filed for each person applying.
***On August 26, 2024, the DHS was administratively stayed from granting Keeping Families Together applications for 14 days. The court can choose to extend the stay, so it is uncertain how long this will last. DHS is still accepting applications under the Keeping Families Together program but cannot currently grant them. Please note, this does not affect anyone who has already been granted PIP under the Keeping Families Together program.***
Keep an eye out for our next blog post on this topic, where we’ll give an update on the Keeping Families Together program.
For more information on how the Keeping Families Together program could help you and your family, please reach out to mike@shermanimmigration.com or call (248) 586-4300.