He reduced the time that families are separated while obtaining their green cards. Undocumented immigrants who are immediate relatives of lawful permanent residents or sons or daughters of US Citizens can apply to get a waiver if a visa is available.

This executive order is an important step to fix our Nation’s broken immigration system. He recognized that millions of undocumented immigrants who live in the shadows but want to live law-abiding lives have no way to do so under the current immigration law. President Obama took this action while Congress continues to work to build a comprehensive, bipartisan immigration reform bill.

In order to get relief under this plan strict requirements must be met. For instance eligible immigrants will have the opportunity to request temporary relief from deportation and work authorization if they come forward and pass criminal and national security checks, pay their taxes, pay a fee, and show that they are a parent of a US Citizen or lawful permanent resident on the date of the announcement, are not enforcement priorities and have been in the US since January 1, 2010 or an individual who arrived in the United States before turning 16 years old and before January 1, 2010, regardless of how they are today.

Today inspite of the current administration’s posture toward immigration reform, many of these protections have passed constitutional muster and remain in effect today.