United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (“USCIS”) has announced that it is in the process of preparing renewals for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (“DACA”). USCIS initiated the DACA program in 2012. For qualified applicants, DACA allowed non-citizens without status to temporarily remain in the United States and apply for employment authorization for a period of two years.  Beginning in September of 2014, the initial two-year grants of deferred action for early recipients of DACA are due to expire.  The process for DACA renewals will hopefully ensure that eligible individuals can request and receive an extension of their deferred action without experiencing any lapse in their lawful presence or work authorization.

By the end of May 2014, USCIS plans on publishing a new dual form for both initial DACA applications and renewal requests.  If you received DACA from USCIS previously and are currently seeking to renew, you must wait until USCIS publishes the new form before filing your request.  If you are filing for DACA for the first time, you may continue to use the current form until the new version is available.