It is estimated that approximately 5,000 immigrants in Minnesota may qualify for the Deferred Action program, which was announced by the Obama administration this summer.
Deferred Action will allow immigrants who arrived in the country illegally before they turned 16 years old to obtain work visas for two years, Social Security numbers and, perhaps most importantly, safety from deportation.
But immigrants need to submit many materials before they will be accepted. Among other qualifications, they need to prove that they have graduated from, high school, obtained a GED or are currently enrolled in school.
School records, including enrollment information and immunization records, can be helpful since applicants also need to prove that they have been in the country for five straight years and arrived before they turned 16.
With such a large number of immigrants gathering their materials to apply for Deferred Action, Minnesota schools have seen an increase in requests for transcripts and these other records.
Anoka-Hennepin and Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan districts have reported getting a few dozen requests from students for transcripts. But other districts have seen more. The Worthington district had more than 75 requests.
Minneapolis and St. Paul topped the list of most requested transcripts. The St. Paul district estimated they had received more than 200 requests. Minneapolis reported more than 350 requests.
Since schools have realized that the increase in requests for this information is due to immigrants applying for Deferred Action, many have made an extra effort to help students get what they need from their schools. For example, the Minneapolis school district waived their $15 transcript free for current or former students who were applying for Deferred Action.
Source: Minnesota Public Radio, “Young immigrants request Minn. school records in hopes of working legally in US,” Tim Post, September 25, 2012