My best friends husband is illegal. He has been in the US since he was 15. He is now 36. Someone said that because he had been here for so long and before 1983 change that he could still become legal under a grandfather clause? Anybody got an idea what they mean?

Hi,

is he married to a U.S. citizen?
If he is he can file for adjustment of status and pay the penalty fee of $1,000.
If he is not, tell me about the specific and maybe i can help.
You may think that because he stayed there for a long time, he is eligible for adjustment even if he didn't get married to a USC...but he would have had to be resided in the US since 1972.

He has been illegal for 21 years in the US, am I correct?

21 years ago was 1983, so he might not be eligible for 1972 rule. There might be other options available to him, given he had no criminal record (felony).