Thousands of US immigrants file for right to work

US President Barack Obama's decision to grant temporary residency to undocumented migrants led thousands to apply for their right to stay in the country on Wednesday. Up to 1.7 million people could benefit from the scheme.

The Obama administration defends the measure as a practical step that will allow US immigration law enforcement to focus on attempting to deport people with criminal records.

The administration backs a more comprehensive immigration reform initiative – the so-called Dream Act – but the measure has failed to pass Congress because of opposition from Republicans, who brand it an "amnesty."

The government estimates that more than 800,000 people are currently eligible to apply. Outside experts however place the number at one million, with another 700,000 to become eligible when they reach the minimum age of 15.

Beneficiaries of the move – known as "Dreamers" after the act that was defeated in Congress – can get their deportation deferred for two years on a renewable basis and become eligible for temporary work permits.

Most of the estimated 11.5 million undocumented immigrants in the United States are from Latin America.

Of the young "Dreamers," 68 percent come from Mexico; 13 percent from Canada, the Caribbean and central America; and seven percent from south America – meaning 88 percent are from the Americas, according to the non-partisan Immigration Policy Center.

Only eight percent come from Asia, two percent from Europe and two percent from other regions, according to IPC data.