U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, or USCIS, has just announced it will refund application fees to about 94,000 people who applied under the now-defunct Keeping Families Together program. The program was supposed to give temporary legal status to undocumented immigrants married to U.S. citizens but was blocked by a federal court. The applicants will now get $580 each back from USCIS.
Background of the Keeping Families Together Program
Keeping Families Together was launched by the Biden administration in June 2024 as a path to legal residence for immigrants who are undocumented but married to U.S. citizens. The program was aimed at individuals who had resided in the United States for ten years and did not hold a serious criminal record. The program would have allowed eligible applicants to apply for green cards without leaving the country, avoiding a possible ten-year reentry ban that often follows an illegal entry.
The initiative was supposed to help not only spouses but an estimated 50,000 undocumented stepchildren of U.S. citizens. It would provide them with work authorization and a chance at permanent residency. But within a few weeks after the program’s launch, Republican-led states challenged the program in court, saying it overstepped the bounds of executive authority.
Court ruling and impact on applicants
In late August 2024, a federal judge in Texas ruled against the Keeping Families Together program, stating that it was not authorized under existing immigration law. This ruling effectively terminated the program and blocked USCIS from processing any pending applications. As a result, thousands of applicants found themselves in limbo, having paid substantial fees for a benefit that would no longer be available.
USCIS said that based on this court directive, it will automatically return money to applicants under the program. The agency pegged refunding between $ 55 million worth of fees by the almost 94,000 individuals who had already applied under it.
Refund mechanism
USCIS has informed the applicants that they did not need to take any action to receive their refunds. Instead, the agency would automatically process these refunds using internal records of applications submitted under the Keeping Families Together initiative. This means that eligible individuals can look forward to receiving their payments without having to file any further paperwork or requests.
Although USCIS has not given an exact date on when these refunds would be made, they have said that applicants concerned would be contacted directly about the payments.
Who is eligible for a refund of $580
Those who can apply for the $580 refund through USCIS are:
- Those who applied through the Keeping Families Together program.
- Those who paid the $580 application fee.
- Those whose applications were pending when the court decision was made.
If you think you may be eligible but have not been contacted by USCIS by the middle of 2025, you would do well to contact them directly through their contact center or check your application status online.
What it means for future immigration policies
The cancellation of the Keeping Families Together program makes immigrant rights groups worried about similar initiatives to unite families. For many, that ruling strips down efforts to allow relief and stability to undocumented immigrants building a life here, mostly for those married to citizens.
As the immigration reform debate continues, activists are asking for new policies that would help families who find themselves in the midst of such legal battles. The ability of the Biden administration to put new programs into place may be questioned and challenged by other political camps since immigration is one of the most divisive issues in U.S. politics.
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