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Created under the administration of President Barack Obama, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) granted employment authorization to undocumented immigrants who:

1. Were under the age of 31 as of June 15, 2012

2. Came to the United States before their 16th birthday

3. Continuously resided in the U.S. since June 15, 2007

4. Were physically present in the U.S. on June 15, 2012, and at the time of making their request for consideration of deferred action with USCIS

5. Entered without inspection before June 15, 2012, or their lawful immigration status expired as of June 15, 2012

6. Were currently in school, graduated or obtained a certificate of completion from high school, obtained a general education development (GED) certificate, or were an honorably discharged veteran of the Coast Guard or Armed Forces of the United States

7. Had not been convicted of a felony, significant misdemeanor, three or more other misdemeanors, and did not otherwise pose a threat to national security of public safety

DACA, AB 540 and the California Dream Act are not the same. In the state of California, the unwinding of DACA does NOT impact a student’s ability to attend college, qualify for exemption from non-resident tuition fees, or apply for financial aid.

Please see the table below to understand the difference between these three programs.

"Regardless of what happens at the federal level, state financial aid for Dreamers remains legal in California. A Dreamer student does not need to be DACA- certified to be eligible for a public education or state financial aid. Losing DACA status will not affect most state financial aid. The information provided via the California Dream Act Application is used solely to determine eligibility for state financial aid and isn’t shared with the federal government or used for immigration enforcement purposes. CSAC will protect this information to the fullest extent of the law" (Letter from Tom Torlakson, the State Superintendent of Public Instruction California Department of Education and Lupita Cortez Alcala, the Executive Director of the California Student Aid Commission, 2016)

​Yes, there are: In Orange County groups like World Relief and the Public Law Center will help cover all, or a portion of the fees associated with your DACA renewal as well as give you a free legal consultation.

Public Law Center in Santa Ana
Call: (714) 541-1010


World Relief in Garden Grove
Call: (714) 210-4730