Tag Archives: daca

DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) posts in the CitizenPath immigration blog.

U.S. Taxes and Immigration Consequences

January 24, 2020Immigration News, Working in the U.S.adjustment of status, conditional residence, daca, deferred action, green card marriage, I-129F, I-130, I-485, I-751, I-765, I-821D, I-90, N-400, N-565, naturalization, undocumented, work permit

For immigrants arriving to the United States, the American tax system can be a very new and confusing concept. In fact, the U.S. tax system is so complex that most natural-born Americans have difficulty filing each year. As a general rule, U.S. tax law applies to you if you live in the United States or spend a significant amount of time here.

In the United States everyone with income above certain levels is expected to file a tax return. That’s not true in all countries around the world. In many countries, the government withholds taxes from paychecks, and the individual never has to directly file an income tax return. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is the U.S. agency responsible for collecting taxes.

Whether you are a lawful permanent resident or an undocumented immigrant, it’s important that you get a basic understanding of your tax filing obligations.

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Marriage Green Card: Obtaining Permanent Residence through Marriage

December 17, 2019Apply for Green Cardadjustment of status, conditional residence, consular processing, daca, green card marriage, I-130, I-485

Marriage green card is a common phrase used to describe a permanent resident card obtained through marriage to a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident. Permanent residence is an immigration status that allows a foreign national to live and work in the United States permanently. Generally, the permanent resident may also choose to naturalize as a U.S. citizen once eligible.

A marriage-based green card can be one of the quickest ways to obtain permanent residence. The marriage alone doesn’t provide any immigration status to a foreign national. But marriage to a U.S. citizen or permanent resident is a qualifying relationship for a foreign national to apply for immigration benefits.

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DACA Green Card through Marriage

November 12, 2019Apply for Green Card, Humanitarianadjustment of status, daca, green card marriage, I-485, undocumented

Since September 2017 the Trump Administration has had a policy to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. Although the decision to wind down DACA has been stopped in the courts for now, the future of the program is uncertain. The policy is being challenged in the highest court. Today, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in a case (McAleenan v. Vidal ) that will likely determine the future for more than 700,000 DACA recipients. This has put a renewed emphasis for many DACA recipients to find other paths to legal status. Obtaining a DACA green card through marriage to a U.S. citizen is one of the most common ways to gain legal status.

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Long-Term Immigration Solutions for Dreamers

March 19, 2019Apply for Green Card, Humanitariandaca, dreamer, I-601a, I-821D, undocumented

Last week House Democrats announced a new immigration proposal that would give 2 million dreamers and other immigrants a path to citizenship. The Dream and Promise Act of 2019 would also provide protections for beneficiaries of the Temporary Protected Status and Deferred Enforced Departure programs. It’s a long-term immigration solution for dreamers and other beneficiaries of programs that the Trump Administration is trying to cancel.

Under the rules of the proposed law, dreamers would generally be able to apply for a 10-year conditional green card if they came to the United States when they were younger than 17 and if they have lived in the country for Continue reading →

How to Prepare for a DACA Renewal Application

March 16, 2018Humanitariandaca, deferred action, dreamer, I-821D, undocumented

The initial application for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) was an exhaustive and challenging process for many. But you should be pleasantly surprised to know that the DACA renewal application is significantly less complicated.

In fact, many DACA applicants are now able to prepare the DACA renewal application by themselves.

Eligibility for DACA Renewal

An individual may be considered for renewal of DACA if he or she met the guidelines for consideration of initial DACA and meets all the following guidelines: Continue reading →

USCIS Resumes Accepting DACA Applications

February 20, 2018Humanitariandaca, deferred action, dreamer, I-821D, undocumented

For the second time, a federal judge has issued an injunction that orders the Trump administration to continue accepting applications for the DACA program. The New York ruling affirms an earlier court injunction in California that saved the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program from certain death. USCIS is now accepting DACA renewal applications.

On September 5, 2017, attorney general Jeff Sessions announced that the Trump administration would phase out DACA. At the time of the announcement, eligible applicants could file a DACA application only until October 5, 2017.

Under the federal court ruling, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will now run the DACA program as it was before the September 5 announcement. However, USCIS says that they will not be accepting applications for initial grants of DACA, only renewal applications. Continue reading →

How to Replace a Lost DACA Card

June 20, 2017Humanitarian, Working in the U.S.daca, deferred action, dreamer, I-765, I-821D, undocumented, work permit

It’s probably the first U.S.-government issued identification that you’ve ever had. So losing a work permit from your Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) grant can be an exasperating experience. Don’t despair; you can replace a lost DACA card.

It’s important to understand that losing the DACA card, officially known as an employment authorization card, does not mean that you’ve lost your grant of DACA. It’s only a card that proves your deferred action status and authorization to work in the United States.

However, not having the work permit in your possession can create at least two serious problems: Continue reading →

4 Paths to Legal Status for Undocumented Immigrants

June 28, 2016Humanitarianasylum, daca, dapa, dreamer, I-601a, provisional waiver, U Visa, undocumented

Several million undocumented immigrants in the U.S. received a stunning blow last week when the Supreme Court’s deadlocked decision effectively killed President Obama’s new deferred action plans. The immigration actions known as Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Permanent Residents (DAPA) and an expanded version of the already successful Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) appear to be hopelessly frozen.

For undocumented immigrants, the clear goal is a path to a long-term legal status. These paths to legal status lead to permanent resident status (green card) and U.S. citizenship. Certain immigrants with no legal status may have some paths available. This article covers those options and who could qualify for them. Continue reading →

Still DREAM’n on DACA’s 4th Anniversary

June 14, 2016Humanitarian, Immigration Newsdaca, deferred action, dreamer, executive action, I-821D, undocumented

Tomorrow marks the fourth anniversary of President Barack Obama’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) executive order. And while the program has positively transformed the lives of many, there is still so much left unaccomplished in those four years. The DREAM has yet to be fully realized.

The DACA program, announced by President Obama on June 15, 2012, provides benefits to young immigrants living in the United States who came to the U.S. at an early age as undocumented immigrants with their parents. Each renewable two-year grant of DACA provides:

Deferred action — Protection from deportation
Employment authorization – a work permit that allows the individual to work within the United States

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Fight for Families Enters Supreme Showdown

April 19, 2016Humanitarian, Immigration News, Working in the U.S.daca, dapa, deferred action, dreamer, I-821D, I-821P, undocumented, work permit

The battle to unfreeze President Obama’s DAPA and expanded DACA executive actions is now in the U.S. Supreme Court

Yesterday, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments over the lawsuit that froze the implementation of an expansion to Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and the creation of the new Deferred Action for Parents of Americans (DAPA) program. For immigration advocates, this is a major decision in the fight for families.
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