Immigration Blog

About 110,000 young people were issued DACA work authorization cards good for 3 years. Only about 2% of these are under an obligation to return the 3-year card to the government. The reason for this action by USCIS is that a court order was issued in Texas v. United States, No. B-14-254 (S.D. Tex.) that would only allow USCIS to approve DACA deferred action requests and related employment authorization applications for a two-year period. If your DACA work authorization card is good for 3 years and was issued between November 24, 2014 (the date of President Obama’s executive action announcement) and February 16, 2015 (the date of the judge’s order), you do NOT need to return the card. You should not be getting a letter from USCIS instructing you to do so. If you do receive a letter, we recommend that you come speak to one of our qualified attorneys to discuss how you should proceed. There are about 108,000 DACA mented individuals that received 3-year cards that do not need to take action at this time.If your DACA work authorization card is good for 3 years AND was issued after February 16, 2015, you must return the card to USCIS; most of the 2,100 people in this situation have already been issued a new 2-year card. USCIS is taking this obligation to return these 3-year cards very seriously. If you do not return the card, USCIS plans to terminate DACA and work authorization effective July 31, 2015. In addition, someone from the Department of Homeland Security could come to your home if you do not return the card. You also need to inform your employer of your new employment authorization expiration when you receive the 2-year card. If you have any question about your obligation to return your card or how to return your 3-year card, you may consult with an attorney in our office by phone or in-person. Please bring your work authorization card(s) and any correspondence from USCIS.While it is important to “get the word” out to those who need to return their cards to the government, we also believe that it is equally important that the 108,000 people who have 3-year cards unaffected by the obligation to return the card know that there is no need to worry.If you would like to speak with one of the qualified DMCA attorneys about this or any other immigration matter, please call our office at 866-690-1844 to schedule a consultation. We see clients in San Antonio, Austin, Houston, San Angelo, Laredo, and the Valley. In addition, DMCA attorneys are available for telephonic appointments.