For kids whose parents live in the US on a longterm work visa, there’s no clear path to citizenship. They age off their parents’ visas at 18 and then must move or obtain their own visa.
That’s the situation of IU student Lay Patel, who’s headed to DC in May to advocate for America’s Children Act.
The act would provide a path to citizenship for dependents of long-term visa holders like Patel. Who has lived with his family in Lebanon, Indiana, for 13 years.
Read more: No clear path to citizenship for kids dependent on parents' long-term work visa
He’s currently a senior at IU studying cinema and economics on a student visa.
His options to stay once graduating get complicated. He’ll work for one year on a temporary work visa connected to his university studies.
But after that, he needs a job in a field approved in the North American Trade Agreement.
"And then if I can get an economics job, I would have another visa for three years to work here," he said. "But I would prefer something where I'm not just continuously on the temporary status."
He said more than 200,000 children currently face self-deportation as dependents of long-term visa holders.
That’s why he’s going to DC in May to advocate for the America’s Children’s Act, which is being reintroduced after not passing last year. It’s sponsored by Rep. Deborah Ross of North Carolina.
In DC, Patel wants to ask Indiana lawmakers Erin Houchin (R-Salem), Jim Baird (R-Greencastle), Mike Braun (R-Ind.), and Todd Young to support the bill (R-Ind).
