Documenting Residency Requirements for Deferred Action – Dreamer Work Permit

Filing for deferred action for childhood arrivals (DACA) requires that you document residency requirements. You must show that you came to the U.S. before the age of 16, have continuously resided in the United States since June 15, 2007 up to the present time, and were physically present in the U.S. on June 15, 2012 and at the time of filing your application for deferred action.

A “proof of presence” demonstration requires you to submit rent receipts or utility bills; employment records such as pay stubs or W-2 forms; school records such as letters, or report cards; military records from the U.S. military such as Form DD-214 or NGB Form 22; official records from a religious entity confirming participation in a religious ceremony such as a marriage; copies of money order receipts for money sent in or out of the country; passport entries; birth certificates of children born in the U.S.; dated bank transactions such as records of deposits, withdrawals, or opening of accounts; a copy of a Social Security card; automobile license receipts or registration; deeds, mortgages, and rental agreement contracts; and tax receipts and insurance policies.

The best records are ones that contain your name, signature, photograph, or any combination of these. If you have changed names or used aliases, submit records of the name changes and documents that indicate that you used a certain alias during a set period.

A brief departure from the U.S. does not interrupt the continuous residence requirement. United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) requires that brief departures be casual and innocent. Brief departures that indicate a person has serious committments in another country or relate to an illegal purpose may make you ineligible for deferred action. When you discuss a brief departure in your application, note that USCIS is looking to see that the absence was short; for a legal purpose; reasonably calculated to accomplish a specific purpose; not because of an order of exclusion, deportation, or removal; and not because of an order of voluntary departure or an administrative grant of voluntary departure before placement in exclusion, deportation, or removal proceedings.