UC leaders urge DACA holders to move quickly to apply for a permit renewal
September 12, 2017 •
If you have a work permit through the Deferred Actions for Childhood Arrivals program (DACA) that expires in the next six months, you must act by Oct. 5 to apply for a renewal.
The federal government will stop accepting renewal applications after that date, following its decision to rescind the DACA program, effective March 5, 2018.
UC leaders have blasted that decision — and are suing in federal court to block DACA’s termination. In the meantime, President Napolitano and all ten chancellors have sent an open letter to the UC community urging DACA holders to take advantage of UC’s available legal resources and move quickly to apply for a renewal.
“The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services already has stopped accepting new DACA applications. However, if you already have DACA, and your permit is set to expire between September 5, 2017 and March 5, 2018, you may apply for a two-year renewal.
“You must apply for renewal no later than Oct. 5, 2017,” the letter states.
“Even if DACA is phased out permanently on March 5, 2018, applying for a renewal no later than Oct. 5, 2017 is the best opportunity to obtain two more years of protection against deportation and have legal authorization to work.”
UC leaders encouraged DACA holders to discuss their circumstances with immigration counsel and shared UC resources that can help.
The UC Immigrant Legal Services Center, housed at UC Davis, helps people from the entire UC community. They can be reached online at: https://law.ucdavis.edu/ucimm/ or via email, at: ucimm@law.ucdavis.edu. UC Berkeley has its own legal support center. People affiliated with that campus may reach them here: https://undocu.berkeley.edu/legal-support-overview/legal-support-appointments/.
And every campus offers support and other resources to its undocumented students. You can find those resources here: http://undoc.universityofcalifornia.edu/campus-support.html
The letter concludes with assurances that University of California officials are working on a variety of fronts to continue protections for DACA recipients. In addition to filing suit in federal court, they are also lobbying Congress to pass legislation that would provide a clear path forward that would provide permanent protections for DACA permit holders.
“It is our unequivocal belief that students should be admitted to UC and other institutions of higher education based on their records of achievement and without regard to their immigration status,” UC leaders write.
