The Department of State and the Department of Homeland Security have fortunately reopened Phase Two of the CAM program; the Central American Minors Refugee and Parole Program. The program provides certain qualified children who are nationals of El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras, as well as certain family members of those children, and the opportunity to apply for refugee status and possible resettlement in the United States. Last June, the Biden Administration announced it is expanding eligibility to a recently restarted program [CAM] that seeks to bring children from some South American Nations into the United States. The Biden Administration announced in a statement that Phase Two of CAM/s reopening “will expand eligibility to allow American countries to petition for the children in their care to join them across the border.” Only certain parents or legal guardians who are lawfully present in the United States may request access to the program for qualifying children. A qualified child at the time the AOR is filled must be unmarried, under the age of 21, physically located in El Salvador, Guatemala, or Honduras, and must be a national of those countries. A qualifying parent or legal guardian in the United States may file an AOR with the assistance of a designated resettlement agency. Once an applicant receives access to the program, USCIS officers will interview the qualifying child and eligible family members to determine who may be approved for classification as a refugee. The qualifying child, as well as eligible family members, must establish an independent refugee claim to be granted refugee status. A qualifying parent or legal guardian must be at least 18 years old and in the United States in one of the following categories: a lawful permanent resident, have temporary protected status, parole, deferred action, deferred enforced departure (DED), Withholding of Removal, with a pending asylum application filed before May 15, 2021, or a pending U visa petition filed before May 15, 2021.
For more information on qualifying criteria and application process, please call us at 607-723-9419 or email us at contact@americancivic.com.
