On Sept. 5, 2017, President Trump’s administration announced the end of Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which provides a level of amnesty to certain undocumented immigrants who came to the United States as children.
This announcement caused a lot of heart ache for about 800,000 young people who benefitted from the program. It is also very heart wrenching that the government has the information of these dreamers and they can now be prosecuted and placed on deportation.
Rather than worry, we encourage people affected to seek other alternative pathways to attain immigration benefit: You can still submit DACA request to USCIS:
USCIS will continue to adjudicate DACA application in a limited manner. Call for a consultation to know if you qualify.
According to the United States Citizenship and immigration service “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.”
USCIS website further provides that:
“All DACA benefits are provided on a two-year basis, so 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 Sept. 5, 2017.
• Properly filed pending DACA renewal requests and associated applications for EADs from current beneficiaries that have been accepted as of the date of this memorandum, and from current beneficiaries whose benefits will expire between Sept. 5, 2017 and March 5, 2018 that have been accepted as of Oct. 5, 2017.
• Individuals who have not applied by Sept. 5, for an initial request under DACA may no longer apply. USCIS will reject all applications for initial requests received after Sept. 5.”
DACA applicant may also apply for other immigration benefits, if they qualify. These benefits are asylum, Special Immigrant Juvenile status, U-Visa and Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). DACA beneficiaries who are married to United States citizens and have valid entry into the United States can seek for Green Card through marriage. There are very comprehensive eligibility requirements for these benefits, we there recommend that you call for consultation before applying for any benefit.
The content of this article is intended for general information purposes only, and is not legal advice. Those seeking specific legal advice should contact Gertrude Onuoha Esq. at 575 Lexington Avenue, 4th Fl. NY NY 10022 (PHONE) 7326425605.
Gertrude Onuoha Esq. is the founder of the law offices of Gertrude Onuoha, P.C. She has practiced law for over seventeen years. She has great depth of experience and a successful track record in handling immigration matters. She is admitted to practice law in the state of New York and has a Master of Laws (LL.M) degree from Benjamin Cardozo School of Law in New York. She is a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association and the New York Bar Association.
