Through an executive order by the Obama administration, certain children and young adults who hold the status of an undocumented immigrant were given the option of applying for deferred action.

The application is known as deferred action for childhood arrivals (DACA).

The deferred action granted those who qualified protection from being removed out of the country for two years, as well as a working permit, from the day their deferred action was approved by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

Many students who qualified for DACA also qualified for the Dream Act, but both do not necessarily coincide. Therefore, Rio Hondo students who formerly applied for DACA should begin to renew it.

To renew DACA, students must first visit the USCIS website. The requirements did not change, but the process does differ from the original application.

Once the two years come and go, former student applicants must renew their DACA.

The process of renewing DACA does differ from the original application.

Along with three forms that need to be sent, two fees must be paid: one fee for form I-765 (employment authorization) of $380 and another fee of $85 for biometric services (fingerprints and photo).

Aside from the three applications, no additional documents need to be submitted this time. All three forms can be found on the USCIS website.

Students who may consider renewing their DACA are still encouraged to visit the website, verify they still qualify for DACA, and look into campus workshops to complete DACA applications without error.