A DACA approval notice is a Form I-797 from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services confirming that your request for deferred action was granted and that the government will not pursue your removal for two years.1U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Frequently Asked Questions A separate card, the Employment Authorization Document, follows in the mail and is what actually lets you work, get a Social Security number, and get a state ID. Both documents carry the same expiration date, and the deadlines that flow from that date matter more than the notice itself.
What the I-797 Approval Notice Is
The I-797 is a paper document. USCIS uses the I-797 form for several purposes; the version communicating your DACA approval is the I-797 itself, not the I-797C receipt or the I-797D that accompanies benefit cards.2U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Form I-797 Types and Functions
Near the top you’ll find your Receipt Number, a thirteen-character code that starts with three letters (such as IOE, LIN, or MSC) followed by ten digits.3U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Receipt Number You’ll need it to check your case status, file inquiries, and submit your renewal. Store it somewhere safe and separate from the notice itself.
The notice also displays your Alien Registration Number (A-Number), a nine-digit identifier that follows you through every future immigration matter, and the validity dates showing when your two-year protection begins and ends. Note that expiration date carefully. It drives your renewal timeline.4U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I-821D, Consideration of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals
What the notice is not: a photo ID, a travel document, or proof that you can work. You cannot use it to board a flight, cross a border, or complete an I-9. The EAD handles those functions.
Your Employment Authorization Document
USCIS mails your Employment Authorization Document (Form I-766) separately from the I-797. This is a plastic card, about the size of a credit card, showing your name, photo, A-Number, and an expiration date matching the end of your deferred action period.5U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Employment Authorization Document
The card lists an eligibility category code of C33, which identifies you as a DACA recipient.6U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Employment Authorization Employers see this code when verifying your work eligibility. Unlike the paper notice, the EAD qualifies as a primary identity document for employment verification and is one of the documents the Social Security Administration accepts when you apply for a Social Security number.7Social Security Administration. Application for a Social Security Card
The two documents ship separately on purpose, so a single lost package does not wipe out both your proof of status and your work authorization.
When Your Documents Should Arrive
Once your USCIS online account shows approval, the paper I-797 usually arrives within a couple of weeks. The EAD card follows in a second mailing, and USCIS posts a USPS tracking number in your online account when it ships.8U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. How to Track Delivery of Your Notice or Secure Identity Document or Card
If tracking shows the card was delivered but nothing reached you, don’t file an inquiry right away. USCIS asks that you wait at least 90 days after your approval notice before submitting a non-delivery inquiry for a card tied to a recently approved application.9U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. e-Request – Non-Delivery of Card Filing early usually just gets you told to wait. When you do file, you’ll need your receipt number, A-Number, and filing date.
Getting a Social Security Number and State ID
With the EAD in hand, apply for a Social Security number. The Social Security Administration lets you start the application online and then visit a local office to present documents in person.10Social Security Administration. Request Social Security Number for the First Time Bring the original EAD card. Photocopies won’t work; SSA accepts only originals or copies certified by the issuing agency.7Social Security Administration. Application for a Social Security Card Your card should arrive by mail within five to ten business days.
Once you have both the EAD and the Social Security card, you can apply for a state driver’s license or ID at your local motor vehicles office. Requirements vary by state, but most will ask for the EAD, the Social Security card, and proof of your current address. The state will normally set the ID’s expiration to match the EAD’s, so both renew together. State ID fees generally run from about $20 to $50.
Reporting a Change of Address
Federal law requires you to report any change of address to USCIS within ten days of moving.11Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 8 USC 1305 – Notices of Change of Address You do this on Form AR-11, filed through your USCIS online account or by mail.12U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. AR-11, Alien’s Change of Address Card Online updates your address in USCIS systems immediately.
This matters because renewal correspondence, replacement EADs, and any other notices go to the address on file. If USCIS mails documents to an old address because you didn’t update it, that’s on you. Filing the AR-11 also creates a record of compliance you may need to point to later.
Renewing Before Your DACA Expires
DACA and its work authorization both last two years, and neither renews automatically. USCIS recommends filing your renewal between 120 and 150 days before your current approval expires.4U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I-821D, Consideration of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals File more than 150 days early and USCIS may reject the application. File with fewer than 120 days remaining and processing time may run past your expiration date, leaving a gap.
That gap is the single biggest risk in the DACA cycle. Many EAD categories get an automatic extension of work authorization while a timely renewal is pending. DACA’s C33 category does not.13U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. 5.1 Automatic Extensions Based on a Timely Filed Application to Renew Employment Authorization If your current EAD expires before your renewal is approved, you cannot legally work in the interim, and your employer must stop scheduling you. There is no grace period. Filing early inside the 120-to-150-day window is the most important thing you can do to protect your income.
Renewal requires Form I-821D together with Form I-765 for the new EAD. Combined filing fees currently run in the range of $555 to $605 depending on whether you file online or by mail, and no fee waiver is available. Check the USCIS fee schedule for the current amount before you file. You can still file a renewal after your DACA has already expired, but you’ll have a gap in both deferred action and work authorization until the new grant is approved.
International Travel Requires Advance Parole
Your DACA approval does not permit international travel. Leaving without permission abandons your deferred action, and you won’t be able to re-enter. The only route is advance parole through Form I-131, granted in limited circumstances: humanitarian reasons like visiting a seriously ill relative, educational purposes such as a study-abroad program, or specific employment needs.14U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I-131, Application for Travel Documents, Parole Documents
Even with an approved advance parole document, re-entry is not guaranteed; Customs and Border Protection officers can deny admission at the port of entry. A separate $1,000 immigration parole fee took effect in October 2025, collected by CBP when you re-enter.15Federal Register. Immigration Parole Fee Required by HR-1 Reconciliation Bill Combined with the I-131 filing fee, a single trip can run well over $1,500 in government fees. Talk to an immigration attorney before booking anything.
Taxes and Your New Status
DACA recipients who meet the substantial presence test are treated as resident aliens for federal income tax purposes.16Internal Revenue Service. Resident and Nonresident Aliens The test counts all days of presence in the current year, one-third of days in the prior year, and one-sixth of days two years back; a total of 183 days, combined with at least 31 days of presence in the current year, meets the threshold. Most DACA recipients who have lived in the U.S. continuously for several years will clear it easily.
As a resident alien, you file the same Form 1040 U.S. citizens use and report worldwide income, subject to the same brackets, deductions, and credits. Your Social Security number serves as your taxpayer identification number. Filing consistently also creates a record of tax compliance that can matter in future immigration matters.
Where the Program Stands
Your two-year grant is secure for its full term unless USCIS individually terminates it, but the broader program is under litigation. A federal injunction from the Southern District of Texas, upheld by the Fifth Circuit, currently blocks USCIS from granting new initial DACA requests; USCIS continues to accept and process renewals.17U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Consideration of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) A future ruling could change renewal eligibility or other terms with limited warning, so watching court developments is part of holding DACA now.