YourVoice.Now Summary
Civil LibertiesCriminal Justice & Due ProcessAverage Household ImpactTransparency & AccountabilityPeople brought to the US as children, plus TPS and DED holders, could apply for green cards with no numerical cap.
Civil Liberties
- Judicial review of provisional denials — De novo district court review with appointed counsel
- Notice before denial — At least 90 days to respond, with the evidence disclosed
- Confidentiality of application data — Barred from use in enforcement or ICE referrals
- Biometric and biographic data collection — Required from every applicant
Criminal Justice & Due Process
- Immigration consequences of cannabis possession — Simple possession excluded from the misdemeanor count
- Immigration consequences of nonviolent civil disobedience — Excluded from the misdemeanor count
- Evidentiary standard for gang allegations — Database entries alone cannot establish participation
- Provisional denial authority — Available on public-safety or gang grounds by clear and convincing evidence
Average Household Impact
- In-state tuition eligibility — State option restored by repealing the 1996 federal bar
- Application fees for low-income applicants — Waived below 150 percent of the poverty line
- Work authorization — Granted to applicants with a pending application
Transparency & Accountability
- Reporting requirements — Annual report to Congress on provisional denials
- Reporting requirements — Biennial report on the appointed-counsel account
- Public comment — Interim final rules open to comment after taking effect
- Paperwork Reduction Act review — Waived for actions implementing the Act
The details
People brought to the United States as children could apply for permanent residence. An applicant must have entered at age 18 or younger and lived here continuously since. They must also have been physically present since January 1, 2021. They also need one of several education credentials. That means a high school diploma or equivalent, a career-and-technical credential, admission to college, or enrollment in a program leading to one. Approved applicants would get a conditional green card good for 10 years. The application fee is capped at $495. People with DACA would use a streamlined process with no fee. Converting to a full green card would take one of three things. A college degree, or two years of good-standing progress toward one. Two years in the uniformed services. Or earned income for at least three years. Disability, full-time caregiving, or hardship to a US-citizen family member can substitute. Felony convictions would disqualify an applicant, as would three or more misdemeanors. Simple cannabis possession and nonviolent civil disobedience would not count toward that total. Homeland Security could provisionally deny an application over public safety or gang activity. Gang-database entries alone would not be enough proof. Applicants would get at least 90 days to respond. They could then go to federal district court, with a lawyer appointed if they ask. A second title offers full permanent residence to people from countries designated for Temporary Protected Status as of January 1, 2017. It also covers people eligible for Deferred Enforced Departure as of January 20, 2021. They would have three years to apply and need three years of continuous presence. That fee is capped at $1,140. No numerical limit would apply to how many people can be approved. Information in an application could not be used for immigration enforcement or shared with ICE, with limited exceptions. A separate repeal restores states' ability to offer in-state tuition to undocumented residents.
Congressional Summary
American Dream and Promise Act of 2025 This bill provides certain non-U.S. nationals (aliens under federal law) with a path to receive permanent resident status and contains other immigration-related provisions.The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) or the Department of Justice (DOJ) shall provide conditional permanent resident status for 10 years to a qualifying individual who entered the United States as a minor and (1) is deportable or inadmissible, (2) has deferred enforced departure (DED) status or temporary protected status (TPS), or (3) is the child of certain classes of nonimmigrants. The bill imposes various qualifying requirements, such as the individual being continuously physically present in the United States since January 1, 2021, passing a background check, and being enrolled in or having completed certain educational programs.DHS shall remove the conditions placed on permanent resident status granted under this bill if the individual applies and meets certain requirements, such as completing certain programs at an educational institution, serving in the military, or being employed.Furthermore, DHS or DOJ shall provide lawful permanent resident status to certain individuals who had TPS, were eligible for TPS, or were eligible for DED status on certain dates. Such individuals must meet certain requirements and apply for such status within three years of this bill's enactment.This bill also repeals a restriction that bars a state from providing higher education benefits to undocumented individuals unless those benefits are available to all U.S. nationals without regard to residency in the state.
Details
- Congress
- 119th
- Chamber
- House
- Status
- summarized
- Action
- Introduced in House
- Action Date
- 2025-02-26
- Date Added
- 2026-08-04
- Source
- Congress.gov →
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