After President Obama announced the prosecutorial discretion program in 2014 that was known as Deferred Action for Parental Accountability (DAPA) Congress was spurred to action to act and adopt new rules regarding immigration law. The USCIS was directed by President Obama to give relief to parents under the previous program known as, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA)

To qualify under DACA, a person has to be under 31 years of age and must have entered the US illegally as a child - those called Dreamers. President Obama's new executive action expanded DACA to allow individuals older than 31 to apply so long as they entered the US before January 1, 2010. This new program known as DAPA allows parents of US citizens and Permanent Legal Residents that are currently in the US protection from deportation. An eligible person will need to apply to the program every three years.