Deferred Action: What you need to know and how to apply

Wait for August 15 to file your request for Deferred Action.

Starting August 15, the process to apply for “Deferred Action” for DREAM Act immigrant youth is set in motion.

Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals — or DACA — will allow immigrants who came to the U.S. as children and without proper documentation to stay in the country legally for two years if they met certain criteria. The two-year reprieve would allow them to find work. Just as important, it will put on hold any deportation proceedings the government may have on some of them.

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has advised potential applicants to wait for August 15 before filing their requests for Deferred Action, otherwise requests submitted before that date “will be rejected.” USCIS has also warned of immigration scams where “unauthorized practitioners of immigration law” may charge a fee to file an application.

A series of information sessions will explain what DACA is truly about, who may qualify and how to apply for it.

On August 12, Anakbayan New Jersey will host a forum from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Saint Peter’s College’s Pope Lecture Hall at 115 Glenwood Ave. in Jersey City.

The forum will discuss President Obama’s Deferred Action and Prosecutorial Discretion policies as well as an “ movement to genuinely reform the immigration system.”

“It is essential that we learn about the recent developments in the nation’s immigration policies in order to empower ourselves and to uphold our rights as immigrants in the United States,” the group said in a statement.

The forum will include a free legal clinic to be facilitated by the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund. To guarantee a spot, RSVP to info@aaldef.org or call 212-966-5932. For more information, email anakbayan.nynj@gmail.com or call Bea at 201-779 6886.

Another forum on August 15 is being organized by UniPro or the Pilipino American Unity for Progress to be held at the NYU Langone Medical Center at 550 First Avenue at 33rd St. at 6 p.m. Main speaker is immigration lawyer Guerrero Yee.

“Deferred Action, notario fraud and where to get free or low cost legal help will be discussed,” said a statement. RSVP to rsvp@guerreroyee.com is suggested.

On August 16, the USCIS invites stakeholders to participate in a forum with NYC District Director Andrea J. Quarantillo, representatives of the Mayor’s Office and its Office of Immigrant Affairs, the NY City Council, the NY State Attorney General’s Office, CUNY and others to learn about specific guidelines, benefits and filing procedures related to DACA.

The session will be held 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Baruch Performing Arts Center at 55 Lexington Ave. To attend, contact USCIS Community Relations Officer Shyconia Burden-Noten at nyc.communityrelations@dhs.gov or Jehangir Khattak at jkhattak@journalism.cuny.edu



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