Translate
FOLLOW UP
When I finally sent all of the paperwork, I got a letter in the mail saying I needed to get my biometrics done. Biometrics are physical traits that are recorded as a way to identify a person. I went to Fresno to get my biometrics done and it was actually really quick. They just took my fingerprints and did a background check.
Now I had to do was wait for the results in the mail. About two months passed and I started to get nervous. I did some research and found that it could take up to 90 days to get DACA results after the biometrics are turned in so I stayed patient. I also learned that you can check your DACA application results online and sign up to get text message alerts about your application. I
checked online and it said I had to send additional identification information. It was annoying but I sent the additional information and waited to see if I was going to be accepted.
A week later I got a text that my case had been updated. My heart began pumping fast as I read: “You got accepted. Your DACA Employment Authorization Card card will be sent in 30 days.” It felt like a huge weight off my shoulders! Now I am counting the days until I receive my DACA Card and can’t wait to receive it.
RENEWAL
I’ve reached my goal but the process doesn’t end here. As of now, you have to renew for DACA every two years. According to an article on the website Colorlines about DACA renewals, applicants “will be asked to submit their renewal application no sooner than four months before their expiration date but no later than three months prior to it.”
This can make it difficult to keep track of deadlines to re-apply on time. People that re-apply will also have to pay $465 again to renew their DACA status. I’m not looking forward to paying the fee again and it may even prevent some people from re-applying on time.
In the Colorlines piece a young DREAMer from LA named Mariana Molina said that it seems unfair to put us through so much red tape, and money, just to build our lives here, in our home. Her solution was: “Just legalize us. We’re already here. We’re already home.”
I have been living here since I was 3. I think, write and speak in English. I’m a part of American culture. I’m thankful for the opportunity DACA provides, but I stay hopeful that someday I will be fully legalized in my home.
