You’ll Hate How DACA renewal step-by-step Changed This Year

DACA renewal timing is crucial because work authorization expires if you file late. Processing times vary, so early filing is smart.

Okay but boom — the form didn’t upload. Refresh page. Still blank. Uploaded twice, escaped both times. I threw my laptop against the couch (soft launch of a breakdown), started crying about a paperclip I couldn’t find. That somehow kicked off my Missouri-age awakening. You’d think renewal meant clicking boxes, attaching documents, mailing a government-scented bundle. Nope. Just nope.

It’s DIFFERENT now. Following public benefit advocacy lawsuits, everyone jumped like popcorn kernels into a sea of lawsuits—Missouri flinched sideways. The state system did this funny thing where they pretended not to get memos from DC… and foster youth reentry resources? Nada. Ghost town. Even though reentry timelines are strict, like institutional prison clocks.

The Day Before It Expired

March 3rd. I called four offices. Too late for all of them. “Submit online today,” said a volunteer at a random legal clinic who sounded like he was eating trail mix. I uploaded an older proof of residence by mistake. Idiot. I didn’t check the file name. My browser froze. I remembered to breathe 17 mins later. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

No one tells you USCIS counts your 180-day renewal clock from the second they receive it. Not the second you submit. That’s bureaucracy time. They say “allow 3 to 5 months for processing” like that’s reasonable. But Missouri processors are slower by 19% compared to Oregon. Did they all lose their printers?

I Thought It Was Just Me

In St. Charles County, 2 out of 10 DACA renewals were delayed due to incorrectly processed biometrics re-submission notices. That’s an actual number. I wrote it on a napkin while waiting for my reappointment at 2:11PM, but they lost my photo ID so I had to reschedule anyway. (Cool.)

One of the legal aid volunteers—Neil, I think?—offered me his lunch. He said his brother missed a deadline because the USPS rerouted his packet for “routing experimentation.” What even…?! USPS is experimenting?? Like mad scientists??

Dear Whoever’s Reading This at USCIS

Full disclosure: I panicked. I filed without reading the revised evidence rules. They added new fine print about travel records I didn’t remember from last time. My mom doesn’t even use email. So I submitted a printed screenshot of our Southwest boarding pass from 2016 and prayed to a burnt-out fax machine. :/

My renewal stalled while my cousin’s went through smooth like butter in Minnesota. Maybe it’s the state. Maybe Missouri is just allergic to functioning. Or maybe foster system alumni trigger some weird category. Nobody told me if I needed that old group home discharge packet—I lost it in a flood anyway. Thank you, mold universe. 🙃

Email/Phone Script That Actually Worked (once…)

Subject: Urgent USCIS DACA Renewal Case Delay [LIN1234567890]

Body:

Hello,

I am writing regarding a DACA renewal application filed on [Date], receipt # [LIN#], which has not seen activity in over [X] weeks. Employment authorization expiration is approaching and I urgently need status clarification or escalation options.

I am a former foster youth applicant and need to understand if any additional documentation is missing.

Please advise regarding next steps or delays. Thank you.

Phone Call Tip: Press 2 for Spanish, then 0, then 0, then scream lightly during hold music. It’ll confuse the operator into transferring you faster. (Not kidding, it worked.)

Invisible Traps are Printed in Serif Font

There’s a question in the form that says “Have you ever left the U.S. since your last approved DACA?” and if you mark “No” but forgot you left for a funeral… welcome to hell. The worst thing I did? I honest-to-god forgot about a 3-day trip to Tijuana for dental work because I was too broke for local insurance. Had no clue it’d void the Advance Parole conditions.?

And they don’t even check immediately—oh no—they let your application sit in purgatory while sending contradictory RFEs. My roommate got one request saying “submit additional evidence of residence,” and the next week, “disregard previous request.” She tried calling but ended up ordering Vietnamese food and crying while filling a passport renewal form. (Girl didn’t even have a passport.) Madness.

Case Study — Why Calvin’s Renewal Was Denied for No Good Reason

But here’s the thing—he attached the signature page! It was scanned improperly (ink smudged) at a library terminal. The officer’s note literally read, “signature appears pixelated.” USCIS scanners = pixel judges now?!?! ಠ_ಠ

And Then I Got Approved Anyway?!

Two weeks after I gave up and started researching Canadian work permits (ignoring that I have no idea how maple syrup works), an approval notice landed in my inbox. Approved. Just like that. What!!!

I wanted to rejoice, but mostly I felt dumb. Confused. Sad it all got swallowed by random luck or timing. Did I even make sense?

Most maddening part: nothing changed in my second submission. Same docs. Same mistake in travel log. Same address scribbled on the envelope. The only thing different? Maybe someone decided to pay attention. Maybe Missouri suddenly processed 41 backlogged files in a single 72-hour sprint.

Oh and P.S. — if you access foster reentry services in Missouri, call three separate branches. One of them *might* answer with correct info, but none of them will say the same thing. It’s like roulette with a busy signal soundtrack.

Anyway… I still didn’t find my paperclip. But SSI trial work periods let you test your ability to work without immediately losing benefits. Gradual transitions work better.