Prepare for Deferred Action Renewal

Prepare for Deferred Action RenewalUSCIS recently announced that it will publish a new Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) status renewal form. USCIS has not yet published a new form but the deferred action recipients can now start preparing for renewal.

Prospective applicants can start collecting the required supporting documentation. Supporting documents submitted with previous applications for DACA need not be submitted again; applicants may be requested to do so if required. Copies of all documents have to be retained in order to show eligibility for DACA. Applications will need to be filed along with documentation to show the applicant’s physical presence in the U.S. and that they do not have criminal convictions.

Currently, USCIS is not accepting requests for DACA renewal since the agency has not published the new Form I-821D. The agency has announced that the new form can be used by both by the initial applicants and those who seek to renew their DACA status.

DACA recipients can file their renewal applications after the new form is published. Requests for renewal must be made 120 days before the date of expiration of their deferred action status. They need to provide the same basic information that they provided when they first applied for deferred action. Failure to renew will lead to a loss of DACA status. Loss of status means no permission to remain in the U.S. and becoming deportable.

Form I-821D, Consideration of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals(DACA), Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization and I-765WS, Worksheet need to be filed together to apply for a renewal. The application must include the $456 filing fee and supporting documents, if applicable. People who have already been granted DACA can apply for renewal if they still eligible for this status.