Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) is a temporary status that protects a person from deportation. It does not lead to permanent status or citizenship. It can be taken away at any time. A person who is approved for deferred action under this new policy will be able to apply for a work permit, which will be valid for two years and may be renewed.
Qualified applicants are people who entered the United States before they turned 16 years old and are not yet 31, and who have continuously resided in the U.S. for at least five years as of 06/15/2012 (and were present in the U.S. on that date). Additionally, applicants must currently be in school, have graduated from high school, have obtained a GED, or have been honorably discharged from the Coast Guard or Armed Forces. Applicants must not have been convicted of a felony, multiple misdemeanors, or one significant misdemeanor.
The decision to grant deferred action to certain individuals is an administrative policy, and it could end at any time. A person who is not currently facing deportation will be providing information to USCIS as part of this application process that could result in deportation proceedings being started against him/her if deferred action ends. The risk of being placed in removal proceedings exists, even if the policy remains in place, for people who do not qualify, for people who cannot prove they qualify, and especially for people who have criminal convictions that make them ineligible.
Starting August 16th we will be having workshops to help people with their application process. In order to come to one of these workshops you will need to call 415-306-0414 to reserve a seat. View upcoming workshops. Please click on the DACA Checklist below for a list of documents you will need to bring to the workshops. The workshops have a cost of $20.
