Important Reminders Regarding the
DACA Renewal Process
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service continues to adjudicate the majority of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) renewal requests within the 120-day DACA renewal processing time goal. We make every effort to efficiently process these requests as we receive them.
As USCIS has long recommended, we strongly encourage DACA recipients to submit your DACA renewal request between 150 and 120 days (4 to 5 months) before the expiration date located on your current Form I-797 DACA approval notice. Filing during this window reduces the risk that your current and valid period of DACA and employment authorization will expire before you receive a decision on your renewal request.
Please note that filing more than 150 days before your current DACA expiration date will not result in a faster decision.
Filing Process
DACA recipients may submit a DACA renewal request online or on paper.
To file Form I-821D, Consideration of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, and Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization, online, you must first create a USCIS online account, which provides a convenient and secure method to submit forms, pay fees, and track the status of any pending USCIS immigration request throughout the adjudication process. There is no cost to set up an account, which offers a variety of features, including the ability to communicate with USCIS through a secure inbox and respond online to Requests for Evidence. For additional information on filing a DACA renewal request online, go to the Form I-821D webpage. All online DACA renewal requests must include Form I-821D, Form I-765, and Form I-765WS and accompanying fees.
If you are filing on paper, you can find the form on the Form I-821D webpage. We recommend DACA requestors complete a Form G-1145, E-Notification of Application/Petition Acceptance, to receive an e-notification when we accept their form. For additional information on DACA, including the requirements for renewal, please visit uscis.gov/DACA.
Fee Change
On Jan. 31, 2024, USCIS published a final rule to adjust certain immigration and naturalization benefit request fees. This final rule went into effect on April 1, 2024. The fee for Form I-821D did not change. The fee for Form I-765 increased to $520. Form I-765 applications filed online will receive a $50 discount.
Processing Times
USCIS Historical Data shows the median processing time for DACA renewals and associated Employment Authorization Documents in fiscal year 2023 was 1 month, and less than 2 months for the first quarter of FY 2024. We are currently processing most DACA renewals within the 120-day DACA renewal processing time goal. Factors that may affect the processing time of a DACA renewal request include, but are not limited to:
- If you fail to appear at an Application Support Center for a scheduled biometrics appointment to obtain fingerprints and photographs;
- Issues of national security, criminality or public safety that we discover during the background check process that require further vetting;
- Issues of travel abroad that need additional evidence or clarification;
- Name or date of birth discrepancies that may require additional evidence or clarification; or
- A renewal submission that is incomplete or contains evidence that suggests you may not satisfy the DACA renewal guidelines, and we must request additional evidence or an explanation.
We acknowledge that in recent months some DACA renewal requestors have experienced processing times longer than our 120-day processing time goal. This is due to a technical issue that we have since resolved. We are committed to reviewing and processing all DACA renewal requests within 120 days. When we learned of the technical issue, we devoted additional resources to review and resolve, as appropriate, DACA renewals requests that were affected by the technical issue. We anticipate that within the next 30-45 days we will review the vast majority of affected requests that have not already been resolved.
DACA renewal requestors may submit an inquiry online about the status of their renewal request if it has been pending more than 105 days. We also consider expedite requests on a case-by-case basis. Please visit the USCIS Expedite Requests website for more information and guidance on expedite requests.
For More Information
We are committed to providing accurate and timely immigration data to the public. For additional information, visit our DACA webpage.
For more information on USCIS and its programs, visit uscis.gov or follow us on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, YouTube, Facebook and LinkedIn.
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