The Biden administration launches the “Keeping Families Together” initiative

On Monday, the Biden administration released new regulations that will permit certain immigrant spouses and stepchildren of citizens of the United States to stay in the country while they apply for status as lawful permanent residents. The DHS stated that around two-thirds of the estimated 765,000 noncitizens in the country who are married to citizens and do not have legal immigration status would be eligible for relief under the new program in a “Notice of Implementation” that was published in the Federal Register on Tuesday. Normally spouses would have to leave the country and apply for an immigrant visa at a U.S. embassy or consulate overseas. However, there was no guarantee that the visa would be approved and they would be allowed to return to the country. In order to file the Form I-131F, candidates must pay a $580 fee and submit to background investigations to confirm their eligibility and lack of threat to public safety or national security. Although America First Legal, a conservative legal organization, did promise to take legal action against the Biden regulations, their statement that day only addressed the policy for college graduates.