U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services: Expansion of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals

Among the executive actions on immigration taken by President Barack Obama in November 2014 was the extension and expansion of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. The actions taken include extending the deferred action period and employment authorization to three years from two years, and expanding eligibility to individuals who:

• Entered the United States before the age of 16;
• Have lived in the United States continuously since at least January 1, 2010, rather than the prior requirement of June 15, 2007;
• Are of any age (removes the requirement to have been born prior to June 15, 1981); and
• Meet all the other DACA guidelines.

The U.S. Immigration and Citizenship Services is finalizing the application process for the expanded DACA program and will begin accepting applications at the end of February 2015.  The Migration Policy Institute estimates that up to 1.5 million individuals may be eligible for the expanded DACA program.