More Help for Immigrants Seeking Temporary Legal Status

In June, President Obama announced a "" bill allowing immigrants who came to the U.S. illegally as kids or overstayed their visas apply for temporary legal status.

Now, just days before the new bill takes effect, New York state officials have announced $450,000 in grants that will be made available to help them navigate the process, according to a Daily News Report. 

“It is critical that we get information out to our immigrant communities so that people will know who is eligible for deferred action and so that they can avoid being scammed,” Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver said.

The grants will support clinics, workshops and legal services across the state, where an estimated 80,000 immigrants between the ages of 15 and 30 could currently benefit, according to a Migration Policy Institute analysis.

Applicants must have lived in the U.S. since June 15, 2007, be in high school, have graduated or received a GED.

The grants also went to Legal Services NYC and to a new state task force run by the New York Immigration Coalition and the New York State Immigrant Action Fund.