On Monday September 10th, a group of four YAYAs went to the Hope Community Center (HCC) in Apopka, FL to attend and volunteer with a deferred action presentation. YAYAs helped out by setting up a food spread, providing childcare, and distributing informative paperwork about deferred action. The presentation was given by the USCIS with the intention of educating the community about deferred action, the application process, and who is eligible to apply. By attending this presentation, the YAYAs gained a lot of useful information and intend to educate farm worker communities about the convoluted process of applying for deferred action.
The presentation began with a very specific outline of who is eligible to apply for deferred action. Some requirements include coming to the United States before reaching your 16th birthday, continuously residing in the United States since June 15th, 2007, and being under the age of 31 as of June 15th, 2012. (All of these requirements can be found here)
The two forms that are required for deferred action are the I-765 (the application for employment authorization) and the I-821D (the actual application). The USCIS delegate informed the attendees that both forms had to be submitted at the same time for an applicant to be considered for deferred action. These forms are FREE to obtain and can be found at the link provided below, yet the entire application process (including biometrics) cost $465. However, it was brought to the attention of the community that a local Apopka credit union was giving out loans for $500, which is just enough to cover the cost of applying for deferred action!
People applying for deferred action also have to adhere to extremely strict guidelines when it comes to filling out the forms. For example, the forms must be filled out in blue or black ink and everything must be translated from Spanish into English. There is also quite a bit of documentation that needs to be submitted with the two main forms as well, including proof that the individual was in the United States on June 15, 2007.
After the presentation, the floor was opened to the audience for a question and answer session that lasted about an hour. It was a very educational experience and I personally have a better grasp on the entire deferred action process.
Here is a page on the USCIS website where you can find more information about applying, the forms needed to apply, and helpful checklists for the application process!
Meghan Murphy
Orlando YAYA
