When Elsa Sanchez’s DACA work authorization expired earlier this month, her paycheck stopped, not because she skipped a deadline but because U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services had not finished her renewal. The result is unpaid leave, a stack of bills and a daughter’s tuition coming due this summer, turning what used to be routine budgeting into a financial scramble. Advocates say her case is one of several recent examples that show how slower renewals can quickly send shockwaves through families and local workplaces.
Sanchez, who was brought to the United States at age 4 and now works as a customer success manager for a company that runs electronic medical records, says she submitted her renewal in November and heard nothing before the card expired. After she filed an inquiry, she says USCIS told her it would respond in 60 days. That window has come and gone, and she is still on unpaid leave, drawing down savings and worrying about how to cover tuition. As reported by NBC 7 San Diego, the renewal fee of more than $500, combined with the two year filing cycle, makes any delay especially painful.
Processing delays and federal guidance
Recipients and immigration attorneys say processing times that often ran a few months have stretched longer in recent months, creating gaps in employment authorization. According to USCIS, the agency recommends filing DACA renewals 120 to 150 days, about four to five months, before expiration to reduce the risk of a lapse. National coverage has highlighted renewals filed last fall that remained pending months later, leaving workers unable to be lawfully paid while they wait; see reporting by NBC Chicago.
What the agency says
USCIS has attributed the slower pace to more intensive screening and vetting, saying those additional checks "can lengthen processing times." In a statement quoted by NBC 7 San Diego, the agency also emphasized that "DACA does not confer any form of legal status" and that recipients are not automatically shielded from removal.
Lawmakers demand answers
Members of Congress have pressed DHS and USCIS for explanations and fixes, warning that administrative slowdowns can have "profound consequences" for Dreamers and their families. Sen. John Hickenlooper and dozens of colleagues sent a letter to the agencies asking them to spell out processing changes and any holds affecting renewals. The letter is posted by Sen. Hickenlooper's office.
What recipients can do
Advocates continue to urge people with expiring DACA to apply as early as the rules allow and to use USCIS’s outside normal processing time inquiry when a case stalls. The National Immigration Law Center offers a step-by-step resource for people whose renewals are delayed, including guidance on contacting congressional casework offices and finding legal help; see the NILC. Employers and HR teams can also look at temporary staffing or administrative options while a worker’s authorization is in limbo.
Legal stakes
Because DACA does not create lawful immigration status, a lapsed renewal cuts off employment authorization and can increase the risk of enforcement action during routine encounters. As outlined by USCIS, recipients must renew every two years and gaps in documentation can carry serious consequences for individuals, families and employers. That legal uncertainty has led some recipients to reduce travel, limit driving and pull back from normal activities while they wait for a decision.
