Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), Explained

What is DACA?

DACA, short for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, is a policy that gives some undocumented immigrants, often called “Dreamers,” who arrived in the U.S. as children temporary protection from deportation and work authorization. Approved recipients can get a work permit and Social Security number and, in most states, a driver’s license, which lets them live and work in the U.S. openly. Each DACA approval is valid for two years and can be renewed.

However, it’s important to understand that DACA is not a green card, and there is no citizenship through the DACA program. It offers a temporary reprieve, not a permanent solution.

DACA in 2026: where the program stands

USCIS is processing renewals, but it can’t approve first-time (initial) DACA requests because of a July 2021 federal court order. It still accepts initial requests, but they sit unapproved.

A January 2025 Fifth Circuit ruling found parts of the DACA program unlawful but left protection from deportation in place nationwide. It limited the court’s block on new approvals to Texas and sent the case back to U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen to decide how to carry out the ruling. As of the most recent reporting we found, from July 2026, Hanen hadn’t issued that order. When he does, USCIS could start approving initial requests outside Texas, while recipients in Texas could lose their work permits. Existing recipients can still renew.

The benefits of DACA

DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) benefits approximately 455,000 active recipients, according to USCIS data from March 31, 2026. These benefits include:

1. ︎Protection from Deportation: DACA grants a temporary reprieve from deportation, allowing recipients to live in the U.S. without the immediate fear of being removed to a country they might not remember or consider home. The protection is discretionary and can be ended.
2. Work Authorization: Recipients receive a work permit to work legally in the United States. This opens up opportunities for better-paying jobs, career advancement, and the ability to support themselves and their families.
3. Access to Education: While DACA does not provide federal financial aid, recipients can attend college and may qualify for state or institutional financial aid and scholarships in certain states. This access to education allows them to pursue higher education and improve their job prospects.
4. Social Security Number: DACA recipients are issued a Social Security Number (SSN), which is essential for many aspects of life in the U.S., including employment, banking, and identification.
5. Driver’s Licenses and State IDs: DACA recipients can apply for a driver’s license or state identification card in most states, facilitating mobility and access to services.
6. Access to Healthcare: While DACA recipients are not eligible for federal healthcare programs like Medicaid, and have not been able to enroll in Affordable Care Act marketplace plans since August 25, 2025, having work authorization and an SSN may increase their access to healthcare services through employers or private insurance.
7. Protection of Status: Being a DACA recipient protects against accruing “unlawful presence,” which can have future immigration consequences.
8. Renewability: DACA status and its benefits are renewable every two years, offering continued protection and work authorization, assuming the recipient remains eligible.
9. Possible Path to Other Immigration Relief: DACA itself doesn’t lead to a green card, but for some, DACA can serve as a stepping stone to other forms of immigration relief that may lead to lawful permanent residency, especially when combined with changes in circumstances or marriage to a U.S. citizen.
10. Increased Economic and Social Integration: With the ability to work, study, and live openly in the U.S., DACA recipients can more fully integrate into American society, contributing to the economy and their communities.

DACA cost

• Online Renewal Fee: $555
• Paper Renewal Fee: $605
  • How to pay for Paper Renewals: Use two separate payments – $85 for the application form (Form I-821D) and $520 for the work permit application (Form I-765).
• Advance Parole (Travel Document, Form I-131) Fee: $630

DACA eligibility

About 455,000 people had active DACA as of March 31, 2026, down from about 495,000 at the end of 2025. The number is falling because USCIS isn’t approving new applicants and some recipients’ DACA is lapsing.

DACA requirements

To be eligible for DACA, you needed to be younger than 31 years old on June 15, 2012, which means your birthdate should be on June 16, 1981, or later. Because USCIS can’t currently approve initial requests, these requirements matter most for people renewing or whose DACA recently lapsed.

Applicants must meet the following major DACA requirements:

• Came to the United States unlawfully prior to their 16th birthday
• Have lived continuously in the United States since June 15, 2007
• Were under age 31 on June 15, 2012 (born on June 16, 1981 or after)
• Were physically present in the United States on June 15, 2012, and at the time of making their request for consideration of deferred action with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)
• Had no lawful status on June 15, 2012
• Have completed high school or a GED, have been honorably discharged from the armed forces, or are enrolled in school
• Have not been convicted of a felony or a significant misdemeanor, or three or more other misdemeanors, and do not otherwise pose a threat to national security or public safety

Anyone who meets these requirements can still file an initial request, but USCIS can’t approve it under the current court order. Filing fees aren’t refundable, so it’s worth talking with an immigration attorney or a recognized nonprofit legal provider before filing.

How to apply for DACA

Initial requests are on hold (see above). If you are applying for DACA for the first time, you will need to:

1. Complete Form I-821D (officially called “Consideration of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals”) and Form I-765 (officially called “Application for Employment Authorization Document”)
2. Mail USCIS the forms and fees (currently $605).
3. Set up and attend a biometrics appointment at a local USCIS Application Support Center

DACA supporting documents

• Proof of identity: This could be in the form of a passport, birth certificate, state-issued photo ID, military ID, or school ID.
• Proof you came to the United States before age 16: This could include a copy of your passport with a stamp, your Form I-94, any INS documents with date of entry, travel records, school records, hospital or medical records, and official religious ceremony documents
• Proof of established residence prior to age 16, if you left the U.S. and returned later: Acceptable documents include school records, employment records, tax returns, bank letters, or verification of employment
• Proof of residency since June 2007: This could include payment receipts, utility bills, employment records, tax returns, school records, medical records, money orders for money sent in and out, birth certificates of children born in the U.S, dated bank transactions, car receipts/title/registration, and/or insurance policies
• Documents to prove any absences from the U.S. since 2007 were brief, casual, and innocent: Acceptable documents include a plane ticket, passport entries, hotel receipts, or evidence of travel intent
• Proof of presence in the U.S. on June 15, 2012: This could include rent payment receipts, utility bills, employment records, tax returns, school records, medical records, money orders for money sent in and out, birth certificates of children born in the U.S, dated bank transactions, car receipts/title/registration, and/or insurance policies
• Proof of no lawful status on June 15, 2012: Form I-94 with expiration date, final order of removal or deportation as of June 15, 2012, or Department of Homeland Security (DHS) document about removal proceedings
• Proof of current education, graduation, G.E.D., or military service: Acceptable documents include current enrollment in elementary, middle, high school, or home school; education or literacy program, GED program, college/university/community college, diplomas, transcripts showing graduation date, and/or dates of enrollment
• Proof of honorably discharged veteran status: Form DD-214, NGB Form 22, military personnel records or health records
• Proof of removal proceedings: Copy of the removal order, any document issued by the immigration judge, or the final decision of the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA)
• Proof of Criminal history: Official statement from arresting agency that no charges were filed, or if charged/convicted, an original or court-certified copy of the complete arrest record and disposition for each incident; an original or court-certified copy of the court order vacating, setting aside, sealing, expunging, or otherwise removing the arrest or conviction

DACA renewal

USCIS recommends DACA recipients submit their renewal requests between 120 and 150 days before their current DACA expires. Processing has slowed considerably, and some renewals have been pending for more than 150 days, so filing early in that window is wise. Since December 2025, USCIS also reuses biometrics only if they were taken within the past 36 months, so more renewal applicants may be asked to attend an appointment. Recipients from countries covered by USCIS’s late-2025 and early-2026 adjudication holds may face additional delays. To request a DACA renewal, the following conditions must be met:

• Applicant did not depart the United States on or after Aug. 15, 2012, without a valid travel document (Form I-131)
• Applicant continuously resided in the United States since submitting their most recent approved DACA request
• Applicant has not been convicted of a felony, a significant misdemeanor, or three or more misdemeanors, and does not pose a threat to national security or public safety

If your DACA expired less than a year ago, you can still file as a renewal applicant. If it expired more than a year ago, or USCIS terminated it, USCIS treats your request as an initial request, which it can’t currently approve.

How to renew

Complete and sign Form I-821D and Form I-765.

Additional documents

• Proof of updated deportation or removal proceedings since initial application: See above
• Proof of any additional criminal history since initial application: See above

DACA renewal fee: $605 for paper filing ($555 online)

USCIS has put together some helpful tips on renewing DACA, including filing on time and making sure you submit all the required forms and documents.

DACA history

The DACA program was established after Congress failed to pass Obama’s Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act aimed at granting legal status to young immigrants living in the United States. In the absence of legislative support, the Obama administration created DACA in June 2012 through a Department of Homeland Security memorandum as a temporary measure.

The original DACA program:

• Allowed young non-documented immigrants to avoid deportation and obtain work permits for a period of two years
• Created a program that was renewable based on good behavior
• Allowed certain immigrants to apply, based on the following requirements:
  • Be younger than 31 on June 15, 2012
  • Came to the United States when they were younger than 16
  • Lived in the United States since 2007

The Trump administration announced in September 2017 that it would start to phase out the DACA program. Several court cases prevented the full repeal of DACA, with the Supreme Court ruling in 2020 that an attempt to do so was “arbitrary and capricious,” under the Administrative Procedure Act. Nevertheless, in July 2020 the administration put various restrictions in place, including:

• A reduction in the length of time the program ran, from two years to one
• All renewals had to be within 150 to 120 days before the existing application expired
• The rejection of all new DACA applications
• All requests by DACA recipients for travel outside of the United States were denied except in cases where “exceptional circumstances” were established. Under the original program, DACA recipients could travel outside the United States for humanitarian reasons, education and employment with a valid travel document

In November 2020, a federal judge in New York ruled that Chad Wolf, the acting head of the DHS, did not have the authority to make changes to the DACA program, and those rules were therefore invalid.

The following month, a federal judge ruled that first-time applicants were once again permitted to apply. In January 2021, President Joe Biden issued a presidential memorandum directing DHS to preserve and fortify the program. Biden’s immigration proposals included a pathway to citizenship for DACA recipients, but Congress didn’t pass one.

In July 2021, U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen of the Southern District of Texas ruled that DACA was unlawful and barred USCIS from approving first-time DACA applicants. USCIS has confirmed that all individuals whose DACA requests were approved on or before July 16, 2021 continue to have DACA status, and those individuals remain eligible to renew DACA and DACA work permits. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) continues to accept the filing of initial DACA and employment authorization requests, but it cannot approve them because of the judge’s ruling.

In October 2022, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals agreed that the 2012 program was unlawful but allowed existing recipients to keep renewing, and sent the case back to Hanen to review a final rule DHS had published in August 2022 and that took effect Oct. 31, 2022. In September 2023, Hanen ruled that the rule was also unlawful, again barring initial approvals while leaving protections in place for current recipients.

In January 2025, the Fifth Circuit upheld much of Hanen’s ruling. The court found that DACA’s work authorization provisions are unlawful but that its protection from deportation can stand. It also limited the block on approving new applicants to Texas and sent the case back to Hanen to modify his order. The court stayed its decision so the parties could appeal to the Supreme Court. Neither side did.

On Sept. 29, 2025, the Justice Department proposed that USCIS approve initial requests nationwide except in Texas, where it would grant only deferred action without work permits. Under that proposal, Texas recipients would lose work authorization on a short timeline, as little as 10 to 15 days. Texas is home to more than 80,000 DACA recipients. Plaintiffs have asked for a longer wind-down period. Reporting from July 2026 said Hanen had not yet issued a modified order, and USCIS continues to process renewals nationwide while the case is pending.

In April 2026, the Board of Immigration Appeals held in Matter of Santiago-Santiago that DACA alone isn’t enough for an immigration judge to end removal proceedings. Recipients with active DACA still can’t be deported while it remains in effect, but advocates have reported that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has detained some people with deferred action. Only Congress can create a permanent legal status for Dreamers.