Frequently Asked Questions

An individual may be considered for Renewal of DACA if they meet the guidelines for consideration of Initial DACA (see below) AND they:

1. Have continuously resided in the United States since they submitted their most recent request for DACA that was approved up to the present time; and
2. Have not been convicted of a felony, a significant misdemeanor, or three or more misdemeanors, and does not otherwise pose a threat to national security or public safety.

First time individual DACA filers may be considered for DACA if they: 

1. Were under 31 years of age as of June 15, 2012; 
2. Came to the U.S. before reaching their 16th birthday; 
3. Have continuously resided in the United States since June 15, 2007, up to the present time; 
4. Were present in the U.S. on June 15, 2012 and at the time of making their request for consideration of deferred action with USCIS; 
5. Had no lawful status on June 15, 2012; 
6. Are currently in school, have graduated or obtained a certificate of completion from high school, have obtained a general educational development (GED) certificate, or are  an honorably discharged veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces or U.S. Coast Guard; and 
7. Have not been convicted of a felony, a significant misdemeanor, or three or any more misdemeanors, and do not otherwise pose a threat to national security or public safety.

NOTE: The "no lawful status on June 15, 2012" language in point #5 means that: 

• You never had a lawful immigration status on or before June 15, 2012; or 
• Any lawful immigration status or parole that you obtained prior to June 15, 2012 had expired as of June 15, 2012. 

The USCIS suggests renewing your DACA about 4–5 months before it expires so you don’t risk falling out of status.

Yes. To e-file, DACA recipients need a USCIS online account. Starting October 2025, USCIS also requires filing fees to be paid online with a U.S. debit/credit card or bank account. To create or access you USCIS account, visit https://myaccount.uscis.gov/create-account .

USCIS charges a $555 filing fee, which covers the $85 I-821D fee and the $470 online fee for Form I-765, payable directly to USCIS online with a U.S. debit/credit card or bank transfer.

Yes. USCIS mandates that all required forms contain a wet-ink signature that is then electronically reproduced. In practice, you must hand-sign the documents in blue or black ink, and the signed pages may be scanned or photographed for submission.

Yes, you can still submit a first-time DACA application, but USCIS is not currently processing or approving new requests. Some people choose to file anyway so their application is already in the system despite the recent court decision. 

If the law changes, having your request already submitted may help you move faster. In previous DACA rollouts—such as in 2012 and again during the 2017 reinstatement—USCIS processed pending applications in the order they were received, which resulted in significant backlogs. Being early in the queue could make a difference if that happens again.

But remember, filing now does not guarantee approval, and USCIS will simply hold the request until they are legally permitted to act. You will still need to pay the filing fee, and there is a chance USCIS could return the packet.