DACA Renewal with Canal Alliance during Shelter-in-Place Order

*Update – 8/11

On July 28, 2020, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) instructed U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to reject all initial DACA applications, reject advance parole applications from DACA recipients except in exceptional circumstances, and shorten the DACA renewal and work authorization period from two years to one year.   

If you want to renew your DACA we encourage you to speak first with an immigration attorney or a DOJ accredited representative.  

• Current DACA recipients continue to be protected from deportation and eligible for benefits under the DACA program, like work authorization. 
• Eligible DACA recipients can continue to apply to renew their DACA for one more year. 
• Call our immigration legal services if you have any questions.  

More information here: https://www.ilrc.org/daca-supreme-court-case-summary-practice-update  Please contact immigration legal services if you have any questions  415.306.0437

Please check our website, our app and our Facebook page regularly as we will be updating the information and services available as we get more details about the initial DACA apps.

We are continuing to process DACA applications at Canal Alliance; however, our internal processing time is much slower due to the shelter-in-place order. We predict it will take between 2 to 4 weeks to send a DACA application out after the phone appointment with one of our attorneys. If your circumstances have not changed, we encourage you to file your DACA renewal on your own.   

Canal Alliance can provide you with a copy of your previously submitted application if you used our services when you last filed. To request a scanned copy of your last DACA application, please contact us at 415.306.0437 and leave a voicemail or email us at immigration@canalalliance.org. If you renew on your own and need help covering the USCIS fee, and are a previous client or live in Marin County, please call or email us to coordinate financial assistance.

If you have had any contact with the criminal legal system between your last DACA grant and now, such as an arrest, you MUST see an attorney before submitting your filing. Please call or email us for a trusted referral. 

If you are not comfortable filling out your DACA application yourself, we encourage you to reach out to other organizations to see if they can process your application faster. You can find non-profit immigration legal organizations by zip code here.  

Before mailing your application: 

• Do not forget to sign your application; 
• Make sure you keep a copy of the entire submission (forms, check, and required supporting evidence) 

• Make sure you can track your submission (mail your application via certified, priority, or express mail or use a delivery service); 
• If you live in California, mail your submission to: 

If you live somewhere else in the U.S., you can find the mailing address here. 

Check out this step-by-step guide of how to renew your DACA from Informed Immigrant. You can find additional guidance and tips in this guide from United We Dream. 

Lastly, we recommend getting an immigration legal screening to see if you may qualify for a more permanent form of immigration relief. We are offering free consultations by phone. To schedule please contact us at 415.306.0437 and leave a voicemail or email us at immigration@canalalliance.org. 

Other helpful DACA resources:  

• Immigrant Legal Resource Center: DACA Resources 
• NILC: DACA Renewal Guidance in Light of USCIS Office Closures 
• Home is Here: DACA Renewal Guidance  
• United We Dream: DACA Resources 
• Informed Immigrant: DACA Updates During the Coronavirus Crisis 
• Passport photos by mail