On June 15, 2012, Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano announced that, effective immediately, young people who were brought to the United States as children through no fault of their own will be considered for relief from deportation, known as "deferred action."

Deferred action is a discretionary determination that the U.S. government will not place an individual in deportation proceedings or deport an individual from the U.S. If granted deferred action under this new policy, an individual will be permitted to remain in the U.S. and apply for work authorization for a renewable period of two years. However, deferred action does not grant immigration status or a pathway to citizenship, because those benefits can only be granted through congressional legislative action.

In order to qualify for deferred action, an individual must satisfy the following criteria...

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