Certain Three-Year Work Permits Must be Returned to USCIS by July 31, 2015

By order from Federal Judge Hanen, certain three-year work permits (Employment Authorization Documents) issued to Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) applicants must be returned to USCIS by July 31, 2015.

If you received a work permit under the DACA program after February 16, 2015 that is valid for three years, then you must return it to USCIS no later than July 31, 2015.

Additionally, if your DACA Employment Authorization Application was approved before February 16, 2015, but your work permit was issued after February 16, 2015, then you must also return your work permit to USCIS.

After July 7, 2015, USCIS began mailing out two-year work permits and letters to the individuals who received a three-year work permit after February 16, 2015.  However, if you moved and did not inform USCIS of your new address, you may not have received your new two-year work permit and the instructions to return your three-year work permit.

Any three-year work permit that was issued after February 16, 2015 will no longer be valid after July 31, 2015, and those individuals may have their DACA status terminated if they do not return their three-year work permit to USCIS.  Failure to return your three-year work permit may also impact any renewal application for DACA in the future.

If you have a three-year work permit and are unsure of whether you are required to return it to USCIS, please contact the Customer Service Center for USCIS at 1-800-375-5283, option 1 for English, then select option 8.

A representative can assist you in determining whether your three-year work permit needs to be returned and where the nearest USCIS Field Office is located.  You can also find the location of the nearest USCIS Field Office here:

http://www.uscis.gov/about-us/find-uscis-office/field-offices

If you are required to return your three-year work permit, you may either visit your local USCIS Field Office, or send your work permit to USCIS using U.S. Postal Service Priority Mail to:

U.S. Department of Homeland Security

USCIS

ATTN: ACD DACA

P.O. BOX 87730

Lincoln, NE 68501-7730

Fed-Ex and other Courier Services will not deliver to this address, you must use the U.S. Postal Service.

If you are required to return your three-year work permit and your permit was lost or stolen, follow the instructions at the USCIS website below:

http://www.uscis.gov/humanitarian/daca-recipients-who-received-3-year-work-authorization-post-injunction-quick-facts

USCIS is making home visits in an effort to collect those three-year work permits that have not yet been returned.  Texas is among one of the first states scheduled for home visits. 

As a reminder, be mindful of scams and suspicious behavior.  Only return your three-year work permit to a USCIS official.  USCIS will not visit your place of employment, and they will not ask about the immigration status of anyone else in your home.  If someone comes to your home and asks for your work permit, be sure to ask them for proof that they are a USCIS officer.

It is very important that USCIS always has your most current address.  If you move, you are required to notify USCIS of your new address within 10 days of moving.  This can be done online at:  

http://www.uscis.gov/addresschange

Jessie Schreier is an immigration attorney at Petty & Associates, PLLC. She works out of the firm's Dallas office and focuses on removal defense, consular processing and adjustments of status.

Ciertos Permisos de Trabajo con Validez de Tres Años Debe Ser Devuelto a USCIS por 31 de julio 2015

Por orden del juez federal Hanen, ciertos permisos de trabajo de tres años (Documentos de Autorización de Empleo) emitidos a los recipientes de la Acción Diferida para las llegadas en Infancia (DACA) deben ser devueltos a USCIS por el 31 de julio de 2015.

Si ha recibido un permiso de trabajo en el marco del programa DACA después de 16 de febrero 2015 que tiene una validez de tres años, debe devolverlo a USCIS no más tarde del 31 de julio de 2015.

Además, si se aprueba su Solicitud de Autorización  por empleo antes de 16 de febrero 2015, pero su permiso de trabajo fue emitida después de 16 de febrero 2015, debe también devolver su permiso de trabajo a USCIS.

Después de 07 de julio 2015, el USCIS comenzó a enviar por correo permisos de trabajo de dos años y cartas a las personas que recibieron un permiso de trabajo de tres años después del 16 de febrero de 2015.  Sin embargo, si usted se mudó y no informó USCIS de su nueva dirección, pueden ser que no haber recibido su nuevo permiso de trabajo de dos años y las instrucciones para devolver su permiso de trabajo de tres años.

Cualquier permiso de trabajo de tres años que se emitió después de 16 de febrero 2015 ya no será válido después del 31 de julio 2015, y esas personas pueden tener su estado de DACA terminado si no vuelven su permiso de trabajo de tres años al USCIS. El no devolver su permiso de trabajo de tres años también puede afectar a cualquier solicitud de renovación de DACA en el futuro.

Si usted tiene un permiso de trabajo de tres años y no está seguro de si usted está obligado a devolverlo a USCIS, por favor póngase en contacto con el Centro de Servicio al Cliente de USCIS al 1-800-375-5283, opción 1 para Inglés, y seleccione la opción 8.

Un representante le puede ayudar a determinar si su permiso de trabajo de tres años tiene que ser devuelto y donde está ubicada la Oficina de Campo de USCIS más cercano. También puede encontrar la ubicación de la oficina de USCIS campo más cercano aquí:

http://www.uscis.gov/about-us/find-uscis-office/field-offices

Si usted está obligado a devolver el permiso de trabajo de tres años, es posible a entregarlo en su oficina local de USCIS o enviar su permiso de trabajo a USCIS utilizando Servicio Postal de Priority Mail a:

Departamento de Seguridad Nacional de EE.UU.

USCIS

Atención: ACD DACA

Apartado postal 87730 CAJA

Lincoln, NE 68501-7730

Fed-Ex y otros Servicios de mensajería no entregará a esta dirección, debe utilizar el Servicio Postal de Estados Unidos.

Si usted está obligado a devolver el permiso de trabajo de tres años y el permiso fue perdido o robado, siga las instrucciones en el sitio web de USCIS a continuación:

http://www.uscis.gov/humanitarian/daca-recipients-who-received-3-year-work-authorization-post-injunction-quick-facts

USCIS está haciendo visitas a domicilio, en un esfuerzo para recoger esos permisos de trabajo de tres años que aún no han sido devueltos. Texas es entre uno de los primeros estados previstas para las visitas domiciliarias.

Como recordatorio, ser conscientes de las estafas y comportamientos sospechosos. Sólo devolver su permiso de trabajo de tres años para un funcionario de USCIS. USCIS no visitar su lugar de trabajo, y no van a preguntar sobre el estatus migratorio de cualquier persona en su hogar. Si alguien viene a su casa y le pide su permiso de trabajo, asegúrese de pedirles prueba de que son un oficial de USCIS.

Es muy importante que USCIS tiene siempre su dirección más reciente. Si se muda, usted está obligado a notificar a USCIS de su nueva dirección dentro de los 10 días de haberse mudado. Esto se puede hacer en línea en:

http://www.uscis.gov/addresschange

Jessie Schreier es una abogada de inmigración de Petty & Associates, PLLC. Ella trabaja en la oficina de Dallas y se enfoca en casos de deportación, proceso consular y ajuste de estatus.

The Plot Thickens - Fifth Circuit Sets April 17th Hearing on Executive Action Injunction

By now, almost everyone has heard that Federal District Judge Andrew Hanen entered a temporary injunction blocking portions of President Obama’s immigration actions from going into effect.  Specifically, an amplified version of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), originally announced in June 2012, and a similar program, Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents (DAPA) are currently on hold.

It is important to note that the 2012 version of DACA has not been affected by Judge Hanen’s order.

The Obama Administration appealed the temporary injunction earlier this month.  The appeal was filed with the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals based in New Orleans, LA.  This week, Fifth Circuit responded, setting arguments for Friday, April 17, 2015.

The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals Building in New Orleans, LA - Courtesy of Waggonner& Ball Architects

Each side will be allowed one hour to present arguments regarding why the injunction should or should not be lifted.  Hopefully, the Fifth Circuit will enter a decision on the injunction within a few weeks of the arguments.

The April 17^th hearing was part of a court order granting the Obama Administration’s request to expedite the appeal of Judge Hanen’s injunction.  The administration asked Judge Hanen to lift the injunction himself; however, to this point, the judge has taken no actions except to call Department of Justice attorneys into his courtroom and threaten sanctions on the pretext they misled him about the implementation of DAPA and DACA.

In support of the injunction are 26 states, led by Texas, that filed a lawsuit alleging the programs are a constitutional overreach on the part of the president.  They argue that allowing the programs to move forward will cause them irreversible economic harm.  This despite the overwhelming majority of economists believing the actions will be an economic boom.

You might ask, what is the economic harm the states fear so much?  This is where it gets good.  Apparently, they are afraid of printing driver’s licenses for DAPA and DACA recipients.  They argue that because the state subsidizes the cost of making driver’s licenses, and the fee paid by driver’s license applicants will not be enough to cover the costs, the states will incur onerous financial costs in creating them.

Of course, the states fail to contrast the cost of printing driver’s licenses with the benefit of having thousands of drivers who previously did not have licenses licensed.  More importantly, financial harm such as the cost of driver’s licenses is the quintessential reparable harm.  If the states are worried about losing money on driver’s licenses, the solution is simple: raise the price of driver’s licenses or refuse to issue them to DAPA recipients. 

But that really does not matter, because in the end, this really is not about arriving at a solution as much as it is a political game.  A game being played with real people’s lives hanging in the balance.

NathanR. Bogart is an immigration attorney at Petty &Associates, P.C.  He works out of the firm's Dallas and Amarillo offices and focuses his practice on removal defense, asylum, and citizenship.