US President Joe Biden is set to announce a new program that would allow a path to citizenship for hundreds of thousands of undocumented spouses of US citizens.
The White House announced on Tuesday local time that the Biden administration will, in the coming months, allow certain spouses of US citizens without legal status to apply for permanent residency and eventually citizenship.
The move could affect upwards of half a million immigrants, according to senior administration officials.
To qualify, an immigrant must have lived in the US for 10 years as of June 24 and be married to a US citizen.
If approved, the qualifying immigrant would have three years to apply for a green card, receive a temporary work permit and be shielded from deportation in the meantime.
About 50,000 undocumented children who have a parent married to a US citizen could also potentially qualify for the same process, according to senior administration officials who briefed reporters on the condition of anonymity.
There is no requirement on how long the couple must have been married.
However, immigrants who reach that 10-year mark after June 24 will not qualify for the program, according to the officials.
Senior administration officials said they anticipate the process will be open for applications by the end of the summer.
Mr Biden will speak about his plans at an event at the White House, which will also mark the 12th anniversary of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.
DACA was a popular Obama-era directive that offered deportation protections and temporary work permits for young immigrants who lack legal status.
Houston resident Claudia Zúniga's husband had lived in the US since 2007, but left for Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, after they wed in 2017 to bide time until he could return legally.
Mrs Zúniga, 35, said her family's life "did a 180-degree turn" when her husband moved.
Reuniting with him "would be a dream come true."
"My husband could be with us," she said.
"We could focus on the well-being of our children."
Former Obama and Biden administration policy advisor Andrea Flores, who now works at an immigration advocacy organisation, said the spousal policy would expand on authority used by Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama.
The current parole-in-place process allows qualifying immigrants to get on the path to US permanent residency without leaving the country, removing a common barrier for those without legal status but married to Americans.
Ms Flores said it "fulfils President Biden's Day 1 promise to protect undocumented immigrants and their American families".
Mr Biden is also set to announce new regulations that will make it easier for certain DACA beneficiaries and other young immigrants to qualify for long-established work visas.
The regulations would allow qualifying immigrants to have protection that is sturdier than the work permits offered by DACA— a program which is currently facing legal challenges and is no longer taking new applications.
Tuesday's announcement comes two weeks after Mr Biden unveiled a sweeping crackdown at the US-Mexico border that effectively halted asylum claims for those arriving between officially designated ports of entry.
Immigrant-rights groups have sued the Biden administration over that directive, which a senior administration official said Monday local time had led to fewer border encounters between ports.
AP