On September 5, 2017, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced it would end the program known as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), which allowed certain undocumented foreign nationals brought to the U.S. as children to obtain work authorization and protected them from deportation. However, DHS will provide a limited, six-month window during which it will consider certain requests for DACA and applications for work authorization, under specific parameters.

According to DHS, individuals who currently have DACA will be allowed to retain both DACA and their work authorizations (EADs) until they expire.

USCIS will adjudicate, on an individual, case by case basis:

Properly filed pending DACA initial requests and associated applications for employment authorization documents (EADs) that have been accepted as of September 5, 2017.

Properly filed pending DACA renewal requests and associated applications for EADs from current beneficiaries that have been accepted as of September 5, 2017, and from current beneficiaries whose benefits will expire between September 5, 2017 and March 5, 2018 that have been accepted as of Oct. 5, 2017.

While legislators have announced efforts to replace DACA congressionally, obtaining the necessary votes may be difficult given the current political client.

Please make an appointment with an attorney if you have any questions about your DACA status.