students

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has just issued a notice inform everyone that it is aware that some DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) recipients have renewal applications pending longer than normal processing times. USCIS claims to make every effort to adjudicate cases within 120 days, whether they were filed timely or not. Timely filed cases are those that were submitted at least 120 days before the expiration of the current period of DACA and the employment authorization document.

USCIS lists several options available to inquire about DACA renewal requests:

  1. If a case has been pending longer than 105 days, you may submit an inquiry to the USCIS Customer Contact Center at my.uscis.gov/account/needhelp or via your online account at uscis.gov/account/inbox.
  2. The Customer Contact Center can also provide general information and help with setting up an online account even if your case has not been pending longer than 105 days.
  3. You may also contact us at 1-800-375-5283 (TDD for deaf and hard of hearing: 1-800-767-1833), and USCIS customers can always check their case status through Case Status Online.

USCIS also issued a reminded that factors that may affect the timely processing of your DACA renewal request include, but are not limited to:

  • Failure to appear at an Application Support Center (ASC) for a scheduled biometrics appointment to obtain fingerprints and photographs. No-shows or rescheduling appointments will require additional processing time.
  • Issues of national security, criminality or public safety discovered during the background check process that require further vetting.
  • Issues of travel abroad that need additional evidence/clarification.
  • If your application is incomplete or contained evidence that suggests you may not satisfy the DACA renewal guidelines and if USCIS sends a request for additional evidence or explanation.

Stefan Latorre is the president of the Law Offices of Stefan Latorre. He has offices in Charlotte, Monroe, Greensboro, Durham and Hickory in North Carolina; Columbia and Greenville in South Carolina; and Jacksonville in Florida. For more information or to schedule a consultation, call 1.800.966.6769.