Denis Lemos, an undocumented student from Framingham who was featured in a CommonWealth story on immigration last fall, is being allowed to stay in the United States.

The US Department of Homeland Security granted Lemos “prosecutorial discretion,” a decision that permits the Brazilian native to remain in the country and continue working toward his University of Massachusetts Lowell computer engineering degree, but doesn’t give him legal status here.

Lemos said the government’s decision in November “puts him back at square one.” He does not have authorization to work and cannot apply for permanent residency or a green card.  Moreover, even though his case is closed, immigration officials can re-open it at any time. “Being undocumented is difficult,” said Lemos. “I’m just focusing on getting my bachelor’s, but I know that it is still dangerous.”

Under US Customs and Enforcement directives announced last year, immigration officials prioritize who gets sent back to their home countries. Criminals and other individuals who pose threats to public safety or national security take precedence over college students such as Lemos and people who may be cited for minor offenses, such as traffic violations.

Historically, a person found to be in the United States illegally could face deportation whether or not he or she posed a threat to Americans, according to Kirk Carter, a Framingham immigration attorney. As more people faced the threat of deportation over time, the cases overloaded immigration courts, prompting the Obama administration to use its executive powers to give immigration officials more leeway to clear minor cases out of the overburdened system.

 “[Immigration officials] are looking at the policies and are basically saying, “What can we do to make our policies smarter and wiser, without violating the laws that exist?” Carter said.

Isabel Vargas, the lead organizer for the Student Immigration Movement, an immigrant youth advocacy group, said her organization is aware of only two students in Massachusetts who have received prosecutorial discretion – Lemos and Vinicius Quirino, a Bunker Hill Community College student. Vargas said she is certain that there are more students out there with the same problem. “Immigration is an issue that people don’t want to talk about,” she said.