DACA Renewal Requirements: Eligibility, Filing, and Fees

DACA renewal requirements come down to three forms filed together (I-821D, I-765, and I-765WS), a combined fee, a biometrics appointment, and continuing to meet the eligibility rules you met the first time: continuous U.S. residence, no disqualifying criminal record, and no public safety or national security concerns. File between 120 and 150 days before your current authorization expires. DACA-based work permits do not get the automatic extension that most other categories receive, so if your Employment Authorization Document lapses before USCIS decides your renewal, you lose the legal right to work that day.¹

One boundary before the details: USCIS is still accepting and processing renewals for people who received an initial DACA grant before July 16, 2021, under the regulations at 8 CFR 236.22 and 236.23. Initial applications are being accepted but not processed while litigation continues. Current grants and their EADs stay valid until the printed expiration date unless individually terminated.²

When to File

USCIS recommends filing 120 to 150 days (roughly four to five months) before the expiration date printed on your most recent I-797 approval notice.¹ That window exists for a reason. DACA-based EADs in category C33 are not eligible for the automatic extension that keeps other EAD holders working while a timely renewal is pending.³

If your card expires before USCIS approves the renewal, you cannot legally work during the gap, and your employer must stop letting you work once they realize the card has expired. Filing early is the only real safeguard.

Who Still Qualifies

You have to meet every threshold in the regulation. One failed criterion is an automatic denial.

Continuous Residence

You must have lived continuously in the United States since your most recent DACA approval. Any unauthorized travel outside the country on or after August 15, 2012 breaks continuous residence, no matter how short the trip, unless you had advance parole from USCIS before leaving.⁴ A single day across the border without advance parole can disqualify you.

Criminal History

Criminal convictions are the most common reason renewals are denied. You are disqualified if you have been convicted of:

Any felony (a crime punishable by more than one year in prison).
A significant misdemeanor: domestic violence, sexual abuse or exploitation, burglary, unlawful possession or use of a firearm, drug distribution or trafficking, or driving under the influence, regardless of the sentence you actually received.⁴
Three or more non-significant misdemeanors on separate dates, not arising from the same incident.⁵

A single DUI conviction is enough to end eligibility. If you have had any arrest or law enforcement contact since your last renewal, including charges that were dismissed, talk to an immigration attorney before you file.

Public Safety and National Security

USCIS can also deny a renewal if it decides you pose a threat to public safety or national security.⁴ This is a broad discretionary standard. Arrests without convictions, gang-related contacts, and other law enforcement encounters can factor in even when nothing was charged or proved.

What Goes in the Package

Every renewal includes three forms filed together:¹

Form I-821D, the request for deferred action. Update your address history and report any law enforcement contact since your last approval.
Form I-765, the application for your work permit.
Form I-765WS, the worksheet documenting your income, expenses, and assets to show economic need.

Download the current edition of each form from uscis.gov right before you file. USCIS rejects outdated editions, and a rejected package costs you weeks.

Include two identical passport-style photographs. If you have had any law enforcement contact since your last approval, include certified court dispositions for every case, including dropped charges and acquittals. Any non-English document needs a certified English translation with a signed statement from the translator that the translation is complete and accurate and that they are competent in both languages.

Male applicants between 18 and 25 are required to register with the Selective Service System, including DACA recipients.⁶ Failure to register doesn’t automatically disqualify a renewal, but it can raise questions and cause problems with other federal benefits later.

Fees and Payment

Form I-821D itself has no fee, but you pay a combined fee for the work permit application and biometrics. Check the current amount on the USCIS I-821D page before you file; the fee differs for paper and online filings, and no fee waiver is available.¹

For paper filings, USCIS no longer accepts personal checks, money orders, or cashier’s checks. As of late 2025, mailed applications must pay by credit or debit card using Form G-1450 or by direct bank transfer using Form G-1650.⁷ Online filers pay through their USCIS account. A missing or incorrect payment causes USCIS to reject the whole package, and you lose your filing date.

How to Submit

You can file online or by mail. Online filing means creating a USCIS account, submitting Forms I-821D and I-765 electronically with the I-765 Worksheet as supporting evidence, paying through the account, and tracking your case in real time.⁸

If you file by mail, the correct USCIS Lockbox depends on your state, and the address differs for USPS versus a private carrier like FedEx or UPS. Confirm the current filing address on the USCIS direct filing addresses page before you send anything.⁹

If You Move

Federal law requires every noncitizen to report a change of address within 10 days of moving.¹⁰ File Form AR-11 online through your USCIS account or by mail.¹¹ If you move mid-renewal without updating, your biometrics notice and approval will go to the old address. The online AR-11 updates USCIS systems almost immediately.

After You File

USCIS sends a Form I-797C receipt notice with your receipt number, which you use to check case status online.¹² A separate notice schedules your biometrics appointment at an Application Support Center. Bring the notice and a valid government-issued photo ID. USCIS takes your fingerprints, photo, and signature for the background check.

USCIS historical data shows a median processing time of roughly one to two months for renewals, though individual cases vary. When approved, your new EAD arrives in the mail. Again: there is no automatic extension while your case is pending, so a longer-than-expected processing time can leave you without work authorization.

If Your DACA Has Already Expired

If your DACA expired less than one year ago, you can still file as a renewal. You will have a gap in status and cannot work legally during it, but working during a lapse generally does not block later adjustment of status through something like marriage to a U.S. citizen.

If your DACA expired more than one year ago, USCIS treats the application as “renewal as initial.” Under the current court injunction, USCIS accepts these but is not processing them.² You are effectively locked out until the litigation resolves. That is why the 120-to-150-day window matters so much.

If You Are Denied

A denial does not automatically trigger deportation. USCIS will not issue a Notice to Appear or refer your case to ICE based on a denial alone, unless it involves a criminal offense, fraud, or a public safety or national security concern.¹³

The information you put in the application, including information about family members or guardians, is also protected from being used for immigration enforcement against you, subject to the same exceptions for criminal conduct, fraud, and national security or public safety.¹³ The information can still be shared with law enforcement for non-removal purposes like fraud prevention and national security investigations. Every answer needs to be accurate.

1
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I-821D, Consideration of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals
2
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Consideration of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA)
3
USCIS. Automatic Employment Authorization Document (EAD) Extension
4
Government Publishing Office. 8 CFR 236.22 – Discretionary Determination
5
eCFR. 8 CFR 236.22 – Discretionary Determination
6
Selective Service System. Who Needs to Register
7
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS to Modernize Fee Payments with Electronic Funds
8
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Announces Online Filing for DACA Renewal Forms
9
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Direct Filing Addresses for Form I-821D, Consideration of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals
10
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 8 USC 1305 – Address Reporting
11
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. AR-11, Alien’s Change of Address Card
12
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Form I-797 Types and Functions
13
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Frequently Asked Questions