Spouses of U.S. citizens who entered the country illegally will now be able to apply for legal residency without leaving the United States.

It’s a major change to U.S. immigration policy that will offer protection to an estimated half-million people.

A new executive order from U.S. President Joe Biden will allow hundreds of thousands of undocumented spouses of U.S. citizens to remain in the country legally.

CGTN’s Jim Spellman reports.