Biden eyes eight-year path to citizenship for millions of immigrants: report

by Celine Castronuovo - 01/19/21 7:42 AM ET

Immigration legislation that President-elect Joe Biden is expected to propose on his first day in office will reportedly include an eight-year path to citizenship for approximately 11 million people.

An unidentified source told The Associated Press that the bill Biden plans to introduce after he takes the oath of office Wednesday will be hundreds of pages in length.

The AP reported that under the legislation, those living in the U.S. without legal status as of Jan. 1, 2021, will have a five-year path to temporary legal status or a green card if they pass background checks, pay taxes and fulfill other requirements. After this, individuals would then have a three-year process to naturalization.

So-called Dreamers, the young undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as children, as well as agricultural workers and people under temporary protected status would qualify more immediately for green cards under certain conditions, including if they are working or in school.

The AP on Saturday initially reported Biden’s plans to unveil a sweeping immigration overhaul his first day in office, marking a significant shift from President Trump’s hard-line immigration policies.

However, the AP noted Tuesday that Biden’s planned bill does not include measures on border security and does not create a guest worker or other visa program.

Biden throughout his campaign condemned the Trump administration’s policies on immigration, calling them an “unrelenting assault” on American values.

Biden is also expected to deliver on key campaign promises by implementing a series of executive orders to reverse Trump-era policies, including the ban on immigration from several Muslim-majority countries.