Month: February 2015

On November 20, 2014, President Obama announced protection from deportation for two groups of undocumented people who have been living in the U.S. since January 1, 2010. He was referring to the Expanded Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents (DAPA) programs. Interested applicants should be wary of scams from notarios and other unscrupulous people trying to take advantage of this news.

The American Immigration Lawyers Association offers these key things that every applicant of should know.

1. No one can apply yet for Expanded DACA or DAPA. People can begin applying for Expanded DACA around February 18, 2015, and DAPA around May 19, 2015.
2. Not everyone will qualify. Being the parent of a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident child is not enough to qualify for the DAPA program. Additionally, being a childhood arrival is not enough to show that you qualify for the DACA program. Other requirements may apply.
3. Get legal help before applying for either program. Contact someone such as an immigration attorney to seek professional advice.
4. If you submit the wrong information you may lose the ability to be granted Deferred Action. Ensure your information is true and correct.

USCIS recently posted a notice listing steps it will take to respond to increased caseloads. This includes increasing staff levels and re-prioritizing applications for the scheduling of interviews. In the notice USCIS states that on December 26, 2014, the USCIS Asylum Division began prioritizing asylum applications for interview scheduling as follows:

1. Applications that were scheduled for an interview, but the applicant requested a new date for the interview
2. Applications filed by children
3. All other pending affirmative asylum applications will be scheduled for interviews in the order in which they were received with oldest cases scheduled first