Registration has begun under President Joe Biden's offer of a path to citizenship to spouses of U.S. citizens without having to first leave the country. It is one of the biggest moves to ease entry for immigrants in years, An estimated 500,000 spouses could benefit. But some are feeling left out. To be eligible, spouses must have lived in the United States continuously for 10 years as of June 17, 2024, and been married by then. That excludes those who followed instructions to leave the country voluntarily for up to 10 years to gain the right to reenter.

President Joe Biden is planning to announce a sweeping new policy that would lift the threat of deportation for tens of thousands of people married to U.S. citizens. It's an aggressive election-year action on immigration that had been sought by many Democrats. Biden is hosting a White House event Tuesday to celebrate an Obama-era directive that offered deportation protections for young undocumented immigrants and will announce the new program then, according to three people briefed on the White House plans. The policy will allow roughly 490,000 spouses of U.S. citizens an opportunity to apply for a "parole in place" program, which would shield them from deportations and offer them work permits if they have lived in the country for at least 10 years.