U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services: Deferred Action for Parental Accountability

Among the most significant executive actions on immigration taken by President Barack Obama in November 2014 was the Deferred Action for Parental Accountability (DAPA) program, modeled after the current Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.   Individuals eligible for this temporary legal status and employment authorization (for three years) are father or mother of a son or daughter who is either U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident and

• Have lived in the United States continuously since January 1, 2010;
• Are not an enforcement priority for removal from the United States.

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has not announced additional details about the program and is not expected to begin to accept applications until late May 2015.  The Migration Policy Institute has estimated that up to 3.7 million individuals may be eligible for the DAPA program.