If enacted, the DREAM Act would create a pathway for undocumented immigrant students to legal status. Students will be eligible for the pathway to legal status if they:
- entered the United States before age 16;
- lived in the U.S. for at least five continuous years immediately before the bill becomes effective;
- graduated from high school or gained admission into an institute of higher education;
- have "good moral character" and not committed certain crimes; and
- are younger than 35 when the bill becomes effective.
The DREAM Act would make a huge difference in the lives of undocumented youth who were brought to the United States by their parents and now, because of their lack of legal status, face obstacles to their future. By removing such barriers, the DREAM Act will allow immigrant students to pursue their dreams through college education or, if they choose to, through military service. DREAM Act students are talented, intelligent and dedicated young people who know only the U.S. as their home and who are ready to contribute to this country and have much we can benefit from.