AILA Welcomes Launch of “Keeping Families Together” Program – Lives Will Be Changed

Washington, DC – Today, the Biden Administration began accepting applications for the Keeping Families Together program.  This program offers legal protection for certain spouses and stepchildren of U.S. citizens, allowing them to remain in the United States while they seek Lawful Permanent Resident (LPR) status. Applicants for the program are required to pay a $580 fee and undergo background checks.

American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) President Kelli Stump welcomed the start of the program, noting, “As immigration attorneys, we see every day how outdated laws keep U.S. citizens’ families in long-term legal limbo, enduring an arduous bureaucratic process to gain lawful residency. By taking this action, the administration is using its congressionally enacted authority to put families first and implement sensible solutions. The people eligible for this program already qualify for a green card under U.S. immigration law but face bureaucratic obstacles that this new program will eliminate. They are the spouses of U.S. citizens who have lived in the United States for over a decade or are the stepchildren of a U.S. citizen. This program is overdue, and we are excited and hopeful to witness what meaningful change this will bring to our clients and their US citizen family members. But more is still needed. We urge the President to expand the scope of this program and identify other lawful pathways that will strengthen American families, our communities and our nation’s economy."

AILA Executive Director Ben Johnson stated, “This measure is an example of good government helping American families cut through red tape. It removes a nonsensical administrative hurdle that keeps U.S. citizens’ family members in a precarious immigration status when they are eligible to be lawful permanent residents. We hope this program is just the start of additional efforts to offer commonsense answers to the problems created by our outdated immigration system. Ultimately though, the administration cannot fix broken laws without Congress doing its job. Congress must stop putting politics ahead of American families and modernize our immigration laws to address the challenges faced by American families, businesses, and communities.”