Senators Richard Durbin (D-Illinois) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) introduced the Dream Act of 2025 in the Senate on December 4, 2025. This bipartisan bill would allow Dreamers –undocumented immigrants who were brought to the United States as children and have lived in the U.S. for most of their lives – to apply for protection from deportation and an opportunity to obtain legal status if they meet certain requirements. The bill would also allow Documented Dreamers – noncitizens who grew up in the U.S. as visa holders but “aged out” of their parent’s visa status when they turned 21 – to obtain legal status.
Protections in the Dream Act of 2025 could allow nearly 525,000 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients, as well as another two million eligible Dreamers brought to America as children, to stay in the U.S. The bill could also allow 250,000 Documented Dreamers to stay in the U.S. and obtain permanent legal status.
What Would the Dream Act Do?
The Dream Act of 2025 would create a conditional permanent resident status valid for up to eight years for Dreamers and Documented Dreamers that would protect them from deportation, allow them to work legally in the U.S., and permit them to travel outside the country.
Step 1. To qualify for conditional permanent resident status, individuals would need to meet the following requirements:
- Demonstrate that they were brought to the U.S. at age 18 or younger and have lived continuously in the U.S. for at least four years prior to the bill’s enactment;
- Pass a government background check, demonstrate “good moral character” with no felony or multiple misdemeanor convictions, submit biometric and biographic data, and undergo a biometric and medical exam;
- Demonstrate they have been admitted to a college or university, have earned a high school diploma, or are in the process of earning a high school diploma or an equivalent; or,
- Demonstrate they have served, are serving, or have enlisted in the U.S. Armed Forces;
- Swear under penalty of perjury that they have no unpaid Federal tax liability or have entered or applied to enter into an agreement with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to resolve any existing Federal tax liability; and,
- Pay an application fee.
The bill would automatically grant conditional permanent resident status to DACA recipients who have not engaged in derogatory conduct and still meet the requirements needed to obtain DACA.
Recipients can lose conditional permanent resident status if they commit a serious crime or fail to meet the other requirements set in the bill.
Step 2. Conditional permanent resident status can be changed to lawful permanent resident (LPR or green-card holder) status as soon as the following conditions are met:
- Maintain continuous residence in the U.S.;
- Complete one of the following three requirements (tracks):
- Graduate from a college or university, or complete at least two years of a bachelor’s or higher degree program in the U.S. (education track);
- Complete at least two years of honorable military service and, if discharged, received an honorable discharge (military track); or
- Demonstrate employment for a period totaling at least three years and at least 75 percent of the time the individual has had a valid employment authorization document while not enrolled in school (worker track);
- Demonstrate an ability to read, write and speak English and an understanding of American history, principles and form of government;
- Pass a government background check, continue to demonstrate “good moral character” without felony or multiple misdemeanor convictions, submit biometric and biographic data, and undergo a biometric exam; and
- Pay an application fee.
The bill defines “Documented Dreamers” as the children of non-immigrant E-1, E-2, H-1B, and L visa holders.
Temporary Protected Status (TPS) holders who arrived in the U.S. as children and meet the bill’s requirements would also qualify for protection under the bill.
The bill would pause the deportation proceedings for Dreamers and Documented Dreamers if they are eligible for “conditional permanent resident” status. It would also prevent deportation proceedings for young children under the age of 18 if they meet the requirements for “conditional permanent resident” status except that they are not yet enrolled in high school or an equivalent.
Why the Dream Act Supports American Values
The Dream Act is a bipartisan, legislative solution. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Richard Durbin (D-Illinois) developed the Dream Act as a bipartisan legislative solution to address permanently the fate of young undocumented immigrants and the children of long-term non-immigrant visa holders, both of whom were brought to the U.S. as children and have lived in the U.S. for most of their lives.
The Dream Act addresses ongoing legal challenges to DACA. DACA recipients remain in legal limbo as legal challenges to DACA make their way through the courts. Enactment of the Dream Act would resolve legal concerns related to DACA and offer Dreamers the opportunity to obtain permanent status, allowing them to continue living and working in the U.S. without fear of deportation.
The Dream Act helps the American economy. The bill would allow young undocumented immigrants and the children of long-term non-immigrant visa holders to continue to contribute to their communities and the economy by working legally, paying their fair share of taxes and building businesses that hire American workers. Dreamers annually contribute about $65 billion to the U.S. economy and $18 billion in combined federal, payroll, state, and local taxes.
The Dream Act supports our country’s values. The Dream Act treats Dreamers and Documented Dreamers brought to the U.S. as children — some as babies — in a fair manner by providing a permanent legislative solution that allows them to stay in the U.S. The bill protects Dreamers and Documented Dreamers from deportation to a country where they did not grow up and many do not remember. It allows them to reach their full potential and have the opportunity to become American in the eyes of the law, contributing to a brighter future for all Americans.
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You can read our bill summary of the 2023 and 2019 Dream Act versions.