According to Fox News, Two Senate Republicans on Tuesday unveiled their version of the DREAM Act, called the Achieve Act, which would provide legal status for hundreds of thousands of young undocumented immigrants, many of whom have spent most of their lives in the United States.
The new Achieve Act would require applicants to enter the U.S. before age 14, to have lived in the United States for at least five years. However, it does not offer a special path to U.S. citizenship as the previous proposed DREAM Act would. Under the Achieve Act, undocumented immigrants will be on the regular pathway toward permanent residency.
The Achieve Act offers three different visas: the first, good for up to six years, for students; the second, a work visa good for four years, and the third is a permanent nonimmigrant visa that would have to be renewed every five years. Those who fall under the Achieve Act and are interested in U.S. citizenship would have to apply for a green card and go through the same procedures as other immigrants.
The Achieve Act proposal also sets restrictions such as no access to federal student loans or other federal benefits. Also, those with permanent visas are not eligible for public welfare benefits.
