Path2Papers 2025 End-of-Year Progress Report

Overview

In 2024, Cornell Law School’s Path2Papers project launched a groundbreaking initiative that combines our employer-representation experience with our deep expertise in immigration pathways to help Dreamers* with precarious immigration conditions secure more stable options. This work has taken shape during a particularly difficult period for immigrant communities. Over the past year, uncertainty around federal policy, rising processing delays, and shifting enforcement priorities have made an already challenging system feel even more daunting for Dreamers and their families. With the political landscape continuing to shift, the years ahead are likely to bring additional obstacles, a reality that underscores the urgency of creating reliable, lawful pathways to stability now.

What began as an effort to bridge a long-standing gap in the immigration system has rapidly evolved into a national model for identifying pathways that have historically been overlooked by both practitioners and community organizations. As our reach has expanded, the data we have gathered has revealed a powerful and often untold story: a significant majority of Dreamers already possess the qualifications for existing employment-based, family-based, or humanitarian pathways that can provide enduring immigration relief.

Since launching this initiative in January 2024, our work has expanded substantially across multiple dimensions. Our team has grown into a dedicated group of ten, and we have provided individualized guidance to more than 1,000 Dreamers, helping over 400 transition toward employment-based immigration pathways. Through our presentations, trainings, and published resources, we have reached and educated more than 18,000 people nationwide. This year, we also began offering technical assistance to immigration attorneys supporting Dreamers and have continued our in-depth engagements with employers in the K–12 sector. In addition, through our law-school clinic, we have taken on direct representation in matters such as O-1 visas and National Interest Waiver green card applications, further expanding our capacity to support Dreamers pursuing long-term stability in the United States while training and empowering law students along the way.

*Our definition of a Dreamer includes individuals who entered the United States before their 18th birthday, arrived prior to 2021, and have graduated from high school in the United States.

2025 Data Summary

Employment-Based Legalization Pathways for Dreamers

• We completed 1,156 individual consultations with Dreamers
• Of these consultations, we found that 81% were eligible for an employment-based green card or temporary work visa
• Specifically, we found that 62% were eligible for employment-based green cards and 67% were eligible for employment-based nonimmigrant work visas
• Of those eligible, we have supported 417 Dreamers in pursuing employment-based green cards or temporary work visas

Other Legalization Pathways for Dreamers

• We found that 22% of Dreamers are eligible for a family-based petition
• And 5% are eligible for a humanitarian immigration option

Outreach and Resources

• We delivered 103 presentations reaching 11,832 participants
• We also consulted with and conducted outreach to 241 employers, including 45 K–12 institutions and personnel
• We published 38 educational resources, which have received 25,249 views

Breakdown of Dreamers by Field of Work

View this information in a PDF.