By Matt Viser and Tracy Jan Globe Staff

WASHINGTON – President Obama is bypassing Congress and plans to immediately stop certain deportations and instead grant work permits to as many as 800,000 younger illegal immigrants, according to a policy shift unveiled by the White House on Friday.

Under the new policy, illegal immigrants under 30 years old without a criminal record, who arrived in the United States before they turned 16, and who have lived in the country for at least the last five years can apply for a “deferred action” that for two years eliminates the threat of deportation, without granting citizenship. They must have either obtained a high school diploma or GED, or be serving in the military or honorably discharged.

“It makes no sense to expel talented young people who for all intents and purposes are Americans, who’ve been raised as Americans, who understand themselves to be part of this country… simply because of the actions of their parents, or because of the inactions of politicians,” Obama said from the Rose Garden Friday afternoon.

“Let’s be clear,” Obama continued. “This is not amnesty. This is not immunity. This is not a path to citizenship. It is not a permanent fix. It’s a temporary stop-gap measure that lets us focus our resources wisely.”

The president also urged Congress to pass the so-called DREAM Act, which does include a path to citizenship and which Democrats, college presidents, and business leaders have been pushing for years.

Congressman Steve King of Iowa, a Tea Party darling who has repeatedly spoken out against amnesty for illegal immigrants and has proposed building a concrete wall along the Mexico border, criticized Obama for violating the Constitution, given that Congress already rejected the DREAM Act in 2010.