Quick Summary: US lawmakers have been trying to address the issues in our Immigration system for more than a decade but haven't reached a consensus yet. We often hear about illegal immigrants and their kids (referred to as Dreamers) but not much is discussed about the plight of legal immigrants who're residing in the US legally but are waiting for 10+ years for a Green card and their kids (a.k.a "Documented Dreamers"). 

This petition is to bring to your kind attention the miseries of "Documented Dreamers" who don’t have SSN (can't work or apply for student loans) and lose legal status when they reach 21 years (“age out”) as per Immigration and Nationality Act.

We request President Trump for a temporary fix (until Comprehensive Immigration Bill is passed) by passing an Executive Order to:

• Issue them EAD's (like H4 EADs) so that they can get SSN and start working, apply for Student loans, Scholarships etc  AND
• Pause the 21 years "age-out" rule temporarily (until we have a permanent solution) or make changes to Child Status Protection Act (CSPA) age calculation so that we don't lose our legal status at 21

If this executive order is passed, it'll go a long way in alleviating the pain of "Documented Dreamers" and their families.

Who we are: Documented Dreamers are the kids of legal immigrants (around 250,000) who’re on H4 visa status. We and our parents entered the US legally, reside in the US legally, are law abiding citizens and our parents contribute to the economy through well paying jobs but are waiting for Green card for many years (many of us 10+ years). Also, we’re without SSN (unable to apply for Student loans or work) and at the risk of “aging out” (losing legal status) when we become 21 years old. Please checkout “Improve the Dream” website for more details.

Green card backlog: The reasons for such a long await for Green card, especially for Indian nationals are explained in this article. As of now, 1.1 million Indians are waiting for Green card and many won’t get it during their lifetime. While we understand that lawmakers are working on a “Comprehensive Immigration Reform” to address green card issues, we request a temporary resolution thru an Executive Order to help us get an SSN and prevent us from “aging out” at 21.

How backlog affects us: We don’t have a SSN (as we’re on H4 visa status) which results in multiple problems:

1. High school kids are unable to work without SSN (affects our college admissions).
2. We have a very hard time during college admission. We’re unable to create a FAFSA account without SSN and that prevents us from applying for Scholarships and Student loans. We’re either forced to switch to Student visa status or go to college in H4 status
3. If we choose to remain in H4 status:
   

      a. We’re forced to pay our entire college fees out of pocket           resulting  in a huge financial burden for us and our parents (We’re not allowed to work part-time also while on H4)

       b. Some of us decline admissions from reputed colleges and              choose community colleges or other institutions where tuition fees are affordable (without any loans/scholarships)

        c. Even after paying the entire college fees out of pocket, we risk    losing legal status and are forced to self-deport if we don’t get a Green card before we turn 21 (We have to find a job and switch to H1 visa before we turn 21 to remain in legal status or leave the US after spending so much money on our education) 

4. If we choose to switch to Student visa status:      

      a. We get our SSN, Scholarship and Student loan but we have  to  give up our place in the green card queue and literally go back to   square one and start the green card process from scratch. Many of us have done this after waiting in Green card queue for 15+ years     

       b. This option is also complicated because of the H1 lottery. After we graduate, if we're not picked by the H1 lottery within the OPT period, we risk losing status again and have to keep studying to remain on F1 status until we get a H1. 

       c. Even if we get a H1B visa, we still risk losing visa status if there’s a layoff.

5.  We’re forced to choose any of the above mentioned options and face uncertainty throughout our lives until we get our Green card causing severe mental stress as well as a huge drain on our finances.
6. Some of us are forced to leave the country to pursue our education in other countries because of this issue in spite of staying legally every single day and paying all taxes causing families to be separated.
7. Many of us have STEM degrees and its a significant loss to the American economy as well when we leave the country.   

Congress has tried a few times to address our concerns with various bills like “America’s Children Act (2021)”, "HR-3442”, “S-1667” etc but they weren’t passed and the issue remains unresolved.

Temporary solution:  Hence, we request an immediate temporary solution for our problems until a permanent solution thru Comprehensive Immigration Bill is achieved:

• We request President Trump to pass an Executive Order to issue EADs (like H4 EAD) for "Documented dreamers" above 15 years so that we can get SSN (apply for Scholarships, Student loans, work part-time etc) and also to put a temporary hold on the “21 year rule” in the Immigration and Nationality Act until Comprehensive immigration bill is passed or or make changes to CSPA age calculation so that we don't lose our legal status at 21.
• We also request our lawmakers to include “Documented Dreamers” whenever immigration related issues (especially Dreamers) are discussed in Congress.
• We request lawmakers of Indian origin Rep. Ami Bera, Rep. Pramila Jayapal, Rep. Ro Khanna, Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, Rep. Shri Thanedar and others like Rep. Deborah Ross,  Sen. Mike Lee,  Sen. Alex Padilla etc. who've worked on the earlier bills to take up this issue in Congress and help us get EADs so that documented dreamers going to college next year can apply for Scholarship, Student loans, high school students can start working etc.
• We request the Indian American community to spread awareness about "Documented Dreamers" by sharing this petition with friends, Colleagues and on social media, meeting or tweeting your lawmakers until this issue is resolved

Final thoughts: We understand that there are efforts in Congress to resolve the Greencard backlog.  However, many such bills were not successful in the past.

Hence, we're requesting a separate Executive order which should not have any opposition considering the kids’ future and would be a win-win situation for the Government as well as the documented dreamers. 

We request you to sign this petition and support our cause.  Thank you!!

 

References:

https://www.improvethedream.org

https://www.forbes.com/sites/stuartanderson/2024/04/14/more-than-1-million-indians-waiting-for-high-skilled-immigrant-visas/

https://www.ndtv.com/indians-abroad/documented-dreamers-children-of-indian-american-immigrants-face-deportation-as-time-runs-out-6189959

https://www.cnn.com/2021/11/27/us/documented-dreamers/index.html