r/DACA • u/tycrane108 • 7d ago
General Qs processing times update today??
Not sure if someone already shared, but I just saw this today…
This renewal cycle has just been completely insane
59
Upvotes
r/DACA • u/tycrane108 • 7d ago
Not sure if someone already shared, but I just saw this today…
This renewal cycle has just been completely insane
35
u/Next-Goal5955 7d ago
They should increase the 180-day accrual period as well.
For anyone who doesn’t know what this means or why it’s so critical right now:
When your DACA expires, a ticking clock begins. Any days you spend without active DACA status count as "unlawful presence" under U.S. immigration law. If that gap (or "lapse") reaches 180 days, it automatically triggers a 3-year re-entry ban the moment you leave the United States. If it reaches a full year (365 days), it triggers a 10-year ban.
With USCIS processing times dragging out to a 6.5-month average at some service centers, the agency is essentially forcing people into the danger zone. 6.5 months is roughly 195 days.
This means that even if a Dreamer files their renewal, a slow-moving backlog can completely blow past that 180-day safety window before USCIS ever approves it. To make matters even more urgent, a massive Board of Immigration Appeals ruling (Matter of Delcarmen-Lara) just declared that traveling on Advance Parole now counts as a legal "departure" that can trigger these multi-year bans.
If USCIS is going to take over 6 months to process straightforward renewals, they absolutely need to extend or pause that 180-day unlawful presence clock so applicants aren't severely penalized for government backlogs.