Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, provides undocumented immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as children with a two-year work visa and the certainty that they won’t be deported. DACA recipients can apply for a renewal of their protected status every two years.
Individuals are eligible for DACA if:
- They were under 31 years old as of June 15, 2012;
- They first arrived in the U.S. before their 16th birthday;
- They’ve lived in the U.S. continuously from June 15, 2007 until now;
- They were physically present in the U.S. on June 15, 2012 and at the time they apply;
- They either came to the U.S. without documents or their lawful status expired as of June 15, 2012;
- They are either currently in school, graduated from high school or earned a GED, have been honorably discharged from the Coast Guard or military; and
- They have not been convicted of a felony, certain significant misdemeanors (including a single DUI), or three or more misdemeanors of any kind.
The Department of Homeland Security is no longer accepting new DACA applications, although it will continue to allow 2-year renewals for existing and recently expired DACA grants.