According to official reports, President Barack Obama's Kenyan aunt may stay in the United States and, if she wishes, become a U. S. citizen, an immigration judge has ruled.

The Boston Globe has reported that Immigration Judge Leonard I. Shapiro granted Kenyan native Zeituni Onyango asylum on Friday.

Onyango, whose case drew attention in 2008 when it was revealed she had been living illegally in public housing in Boston, said that she was tired.

The Globe further said that Onyango, a half-sister to Obama's late father, applied for political asylum in 2002 but her request was rejected and she was ordered to leave the country in 2004. Instead, she stayed quietly in public housing until revealed to still be in the country illegally in 2008.

The Globe also reported that she then moved to Cleveland and hired lawyers to have her case re-opened.

With asylum now granted, her lawyers say Onyango can receive a work permit, a Social Security number, and a driver's license or state identification card.

The lawyers also said that she must wait for a year to seek legal permanent residency, or a green card, and then she must wait five years to apply for U. S. citizenship. (With inputs from Agencies)