Notwithstanding the current challenges to the DACA program, USCIS is approving and processing DACA renewal applications in 2024. To apply for a DACA renewal, assemble your past DACA forms, fill out the three needed United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) forms, obtain your filing fee prepared, and present your parcel. If you are a recent DACA recipient, you can continue your DACA status and work permit with the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service by mail or online. Continuing your DACA status and work permit charges about $495. In March 2023, processing the DACA renewals is three months to one year and six months.
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Steps to Renew Your DACA Status
To start, assemble your previous DACA paperwork, the most recent arrangement of the DACA forms, your passport photos, and the $495 application payment for your DACA renewal.
Step One: Get Your Most Current DACA Paperwork
Use your old DACA paperwork as a manual to fill out your DACA renewal forms. To those for whom it is their first time renewing their status, you can use your paperwork, which you used at the time of your first DACA application.
Step Two: Assemble and Fill Out Forms I-821D, I-765, and I-765WS
If you are making use of the free app to get your paperwork, you will be provided the forms you require. If you agree not to make use of the app, you are required to download the most recent DACA and work approval forms from the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service website. You need the forms mentioned below:
- Form I-765WS, which is a Worksheet for Form I-765.
- Form I-765, which is the application for Employment Authorization
- Form I-821D, which is Consideration of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals.
If you can fill out the forms on your own, you must review the response with your past filing to ensure that the details are the same.
Get Your Passport Photograph Taken
You will be required to attach two passport pictures, which were taken within one month of the day you filed your Form I-765. Many post offices, pharmacies, FedEx, and UPS stores will obtain passport pictures for a little charge.
Step Three: Make Payment for $495 Filing Fee
You will be required to make a payment of the $ 4,595 filing fee using a money order or using your credit card. The fees are $410 for your job approval and $85 for your biometrics schedule. A money order can be obtained from some banks, grocery shops, and post offices. The money order is required to be exactly $495 and carried out to the United States Department of Homeland Security. Ensure not to use abbreviations such as “DHS” because if you do, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service will deny your DACA request. If you decide to pay using a credit card, you must attach a filled-out Form G-1450, which is Authorization for Credit Card Transactions, using your application paperwork. If you need assistance with the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service fees, you can make an application at https://unitedwedream.org/resources/about-the-daca-renewal-fund/
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Step Four: Gather and Present Your Renewal Parcel to USCIS
If you are forwarding your renewal parcel by mail, gather your paperwork in the mentioned arrangement to make it simpler for the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service to check:
- Form G-1450 or Money order
- Cover letter
- Form G-1145 (If you decide to present it)
- Form I-821D
- Form I-765
- Passport pictures
- Copy of the front and back of your present job approval records
- Form I-765WS
- Copies of any accompanying documents.
Note: Do not staple together the documents in your parcel. Pinning the documents makes it more challenging for the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service to check everything; instead, you can use clips.
If you submit your DACA renewal application online, you will not have to bother with the stages. However, you can only observe the prompts in your https://myaccount.uscis.gov/
Steps to Write a DACA Cover Letter
The cover letter informs USCIS who you are, what you are making an application for, and what documents you have attached to your application parcel.
Present Your Renewal Parcel to USCIS
After checking and cross-checking your DACA renewal application parcel, you are set to forward it to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service; if you are filing online, adhere to the prompts in your myUSCIS account to present your request.
If you are forwarding your application via mail, use the filing address manual on your USCIS.gov to view where to deliver your renewal application. USCIS filing addresses vary based on your region. If your application is not mailed to the correct location, your application could be denied.
Note: Make use of a mail service that possesses a tracking code. With this, you can be sure USCIS obtained your application, and you will be aware of the date it was received.
Remember to Make A Copy
Before you forward your request to USCIS, photocopy all the documents. Keep your copies safe in situations where you will need to refer them in the future. This consists of:
- Your payment receipt
- All accompanying documents
- Any mail or email notifications from USCIS.
