The Democratic Party controlled 111^th Congress suddenly woke up from their immigration slumber on November 16, 2010 on their way out of office. It took President Obama and the Democrats a woeful defeat in the midterm election to wake up to the need to honor their immigration promises to immigrants or suffer the loss of the presidency in 2012.

I do not think anyone need to be a political pundit or political junky to know that the Democrats and President Obama can no longer succeed without the massive votes of the immigrants and the black Americans. The only way the President could energize the immigrant base is through the passage of an immigration reform bill. Hopefully, the 111^th Congressional leadership and the President will make good their promise this time around. They promise to act this December 2010, we are all waiting.

In anticipation of the passage of the Dream Act, the Law Office of Joseph Famuyide is collating the list of eligible candidates. If you are under the age of 36years old and you entered the U.S. before the age of 16, please visit our website www.lawyerfamuyide.com and complete the Dream Act Eligibility Form. We will treat our clients on first come first served based on registration on our website. We anticipate a large turnout of applicants

As soon as the law is passed, we will contact and give those who registered on our site appointment to begin processing. All other walk-in clients will be served following those who registered

The new development about the Dream Act will surely bring great smile on the faces of many young immigrants in the United States who are currently very frustrated about their plight and their inability to move forward to achieve the American dream through sound education and significant contribution to the good of humanity as a result of lack of immigration status.

At a meeting held with the Hispanic Caucus of the U.S. Congress on November 16, 2010, the President promised to push through at least the Dream Act during the lameduck Congress which begins in December 2010 before the newly elected Republicans take over the reign of power on Capitol Hill.

The Dream Act has always enjoy support across the aisle, but each time it is presented in the last 5years, selfish leaders in Congress always position the presentation of the bill for political gain. In the past, the Dream Act was attached to unpopular bills filled with earmarks, a poisonous phrase for corruption on Capitol Hill. It is hoped that the President will use the power of his coveted office to ensure that the Dream Act is presented this time as standing alone bill, so these youngster could be rescued from this modern day slavery of being illegal in the United States.

I want to opine that the Dream Act and S. 245(i) INA relief might be the only two possible reforms the Obama Administration could still pass before the end of the 111^th Congress. The United States of America regardless of the squabbling amongst elected officials as to how to mend all broken immigration policies remains the most compassionate nation in the world if proper information about immigrants is made known to them.

The Dream Act is about children brought into the United States legally or illegally before the age of sixteen. A large fraction of the estimated 12 million undocumented aliens in the United States today are these children who after completing High School or College currently face the reality of their illegal status. The country they grew up knowing as home now draws a line and set barriers to their ability to fulfill their dream of being useful to humanity.

It is now estimated that about 2 million immigrants in the U.S. will qualify for the Dream Act if passed into law this December, 2010. It is projected by experts that only about 800,000 of them will actually apply for the benefit. Some of these immigrants will not apply for various reasons ranging from ignorance to marriage to U.S. citizens.

In summary, the Dream Act when passed will provide illegal aliens who entered the United States before the age of sixteen and who are currently under 36 with benefits much quicker than their parents, because they were brought to the United States without any input in the decisions that brought them here. As previously proposed, these aliens will be able to apply for permanent residence after 3years or 6yrs on a probationary status. These categories of aliens will need to meet certain requirements which include amongst others that “the alien has demonstrated good moral character. The alien must not have abandoned the alien's residence in the United States. The DHS Secretary shall presume that the alien has abandoned such residence if the alien is absent from the United States for more than 365 days, in the aggregate, unless the alien demonstrates that alien has not abandoned the alien's residence. An alien who is absent from the United States due to active service in the uniformed services has not abandoned the alien's residence in the United States during the period of such service. The alien must have completed at least 1 of the following: (i) The alien has acquired a degree from an institution of higher education in the United States or has completed at least 2 years, in good standing, in a program for a bachelor's degree or higher degree in the United States. (ii) The alien has served in the uniformed services for at least 2 years and, if discharged, has received an honorable discharge. The alien has provided a list of all of the secondary educational institutions that the alien attended in the United States”.

Let me say emphatically, if President Obama cannot push the Dream Act through Congress this December, then we might as well forget the Comprehensive Immigration Reform during his tenure. The Dream Act is the one with the least opposition among all the proposals for immigration reform in the U.S. We hope the President will do something quickly.

This article is for your information only; it is not a legal advice and should not be substituted for legal advice which can only be given by an attorney after evaluating your peculiar situation. If you need more information, please visit my websites www.usimmigrationnewspaper.com or call Attorney Joseph Famuyide at 718-647-6767 or send email to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

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