"I think it's a step in the right direction," says Robert Toth, and immigration attorney. "It's not changing the law, it's just implementing it in a more humane way and I approve of it."
It will avoid some immigrants from facing a catch-22 situation.
In the past, unauthorized immigrants were required to return to their native country and apply for legal entry from there. The problem was they risked being barred from re-entry because they lived in the U.S. without permission.
"It would still mean maybe two or three years of being separated from your family," says Toth. "I believe the intent is to try to keep families together from being torn apart."
The change was made to help citizens and their families avoid long periods of separation.
We asked members of the Latino community how they feel about the change.
"I think it's a good idea because it's very hard for the children to be separated from their parents," says Heydi, who supports the change.
"It the hardest is when two or three or four or five year old children come into the office and just break down and cry because they're separated from their mother or their father," says Toth.
Immigrants say this change is opening doors to make the American dream become reality.
"Dreams come true, you just have to work hard and the most important thing is to have your family together to support one another," says Heydi.
The applicant is still required to return to their native country for the in-person interview.
The new interpretation of the law took effect on Monday.
