A much needed lifeline? New US bill could rescue 1 lakh Indian kids. All about US Dream Act 2025

A new bipartisan push in the US Senate seeks to break one of America’s most entrenched immigration deadlocks — the absence of a clear, lawful path to permanent residency for young immigrants who grew up in the country but lack a stable legal status. The Dream Act of 2025, reintroduced on December 4 by Senators Dick Durbin (D-Illinois) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), expands previous proposals to include not only undocumented youth but also “Documented Dreamers” — children who arrived legally on dependent visas but risk losing status at 21. 

The proposed law would create a conditional permanent resident status, valid for up to eight years, shielding eligible youth from deportation, enabling work authorisation, and allowing international travel. Once they fulfil specific education, military, or employment criteria, they can transition to lawful permanent residence (a green card). 

Ageing out crisis: Indian families hit hardest 

The new bill arrives at a moment of acute concern for thousands of Indian families in the US. Children of H-1B, L-1, E-1, and E-2 visa holders lose their dependent status when they turn 21 — a bureaucratic cliff that forces many into student visas, abrupt departure, or forced migration to other countries. 

Because of a massive green card backlog, Indian dependents are disproportionately affected. As reported by TOI, nearly 100,000 Indian children are at risk of ageing out in coming years. A prior analysis by David J. Bier of the Cato Institute found that as of March 2023, the employment-based green card backlog for India had ballooned to 10.7 lakh, with 1.34 lakh children projected to age out before their families received permanent residency. 

The bottleneck stems from a decades-old policy that limits green cards to 7% per country, irrespective of the number of applicants. The Dream Act’s expansion seeks to plug these long-standing inequities by including Documented Dreamers for the first time. 

Who Qualifies Under the Dream Act of 2025 

The bill lays out extensive eligibility criteria for conditional residency: 

• Arrival in the US before turning 18 
• At least four years of continuous residence 
• Clean background checks and medical clearance 
• Completion of high school (or progress toward it), college admission, or enlistment in the Armed Forces 
• Resolution of any federal tax dues 
• Payment of application fees 

Current DACA recipients who still meet eligibility rules would automatically receive conditional status. 

The legislation also shields those in deportation proceedings if they meet the criteria, and protects minors who have not yet reached high school age but otherwise qualify. 

Path to a Green Card 

To convert conditional residency into full permanent residence, applicants must: 

• Maintain continuous residence 
• Complete one of three tracks: 
• Education track: two years of college or completion of a degree 
• Military track: two years of honourable service 
• Employment track: at least three years of authorised work 
• Demonstrate English proficiency and knowledge of US civics 
• Clear security and background checks 
• Pay the required fee 

Could impact over 2.8 million young people 

If passed, the bill could stabilise the lives of: 

• 525,000 DACA recipients 
• 2 million additional Dreamers who arrived as children 
• 250,000 Documented Dreamers 

For a demographic long caught in policy limbo, the bill represents one of the most comprehensive bipartisan solutions introduced in years. 

Broad support from academic, immigration groups 

The Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration, comprising nearly 600 institutions, welcomed the bill’s return, emphasising that thousands of Documented Dreamers grow up as Americans in every way except on paper — yet face the threat of self-deporting at 21 due to green card delays. 

The National Immigration Forum, after reviewing the bill, highlighted both the humanitarian and economic benefits. Dreamers contribute $65 billion annually to the US economy and pay $18 billion in federal, state, and local taxes. Granting permanent status, the group argues, reinforces American values while offering a stable workforce for the future. 

Durbin and Murkowski frame the Dream Act as a pragmatic, bipartisan effort to provide certainty for youth who have spent most of their lives in the United States. With ongoing court challenges threatening the survival of DACA, the bill also aims to secure protections that cannot be overturned by judicial rulings. 

Whether the legislation secures the votes it needs remains uncertain, but its scope — especially the inclusion of Documented Dreamers — marks a significant shift in America’s immigration debate. For families stuck in multi-decade wait times, it may be the closest that relief has come in years.