The President’s Executive Order regarding “illegal aliens” in the US has finally been clarified and it looks like, as was stated at the beginning, no one is being legalized or being given amnesty. We know that many anti-immigration groups wanted to use this “amnesty” against the President but that ignores the fact that the President and everyone involved in this decision have stated repeatedly the President has no legal authority to grant legal status to the individuals to which the Executive Order applies.
DAPA, just like the Executive Order regarding children from 18 months ago (DACA), simply grants work authorization and in some situations travel authorization. However, it also places the applicants on the verge of deportation/removal and then “defers” that action until the Order is changed. No legal status is granted to any applicant. In fact, some individuals should carefully consider if applying for DAPA is even in their best interest.
See the DAPA announcement here:
http://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/USCIS/ExecutiveActions/EAFlier_DAPA.pdf