What is Form I-821D?

Form I-821D is the form used to request Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, known as DACA. This guide is about the renewal, which is what the instructions describe step by step.

The official page says deferred action does not grant lawful immigration status. It is granted case by case and for a period, and it normally comes with a work permit.

The instructions say the renewal is filed together with Form I-765 (the work permit) and the I-765WS worksheet, all three in the same packet. USCIS asks that it arrive early, and its page says how many days before the current one expires.

On first-time requests, and on what USCIS is accepting or processing today, this guide takes no position. The policy has changed several times by court decisions; the official DACA page is the only current source.

According to the instructions, the renewal is filed by the same person who has or had deferred action. The conditions for renewing (travel, absences, history) are written there. Whether you meet them is a legal question and we do not answer it.

If you had an arrest or a problem with the law since the last renewal, that is exactly the kind of question that needs a licensed attorney or a Department of Justice accredited representative, before anything is sent.

For a renewal, the instructions ask for less than the first time: almost always the previous approval notice, the current work permit, passport-style photos and any new document since last time.

The general list and the official sources live on the form's page; we do not repeat them here. We do not decide whether your evidence is enough.

We ask for your details, your addresses and your dates, one thing at a time, and transfer the answers onto the official forms with technical checks: dates, empty boxes, details that disagree between one form and another.

You receive an unsigned PDF. You review it page by page, sign it by hand and mail it to the address in the current instructions, with the fee paid directly to USCIS.

Sending the I-821D without the I-765 and the worksheet. Copying the old address from the previous notice. Leaving history questions blank instead of answering “no”. Using an expired edition of the form.

And leaving it to the last week. If the renewal arrives late, the deferred action and the permit can expire before the decision; what happens then is a legal question.

USCIS sends a receipt notice for each form and, sometimes, a biometrics appointment. How long it takes changes; USCIS publishes its times and we only link to them.

In the guide on what happens after you mail your form we explain those notices, where the number is, and how to check your case.

We are not a law firm and we do not give legal advice. We fill the forms in with your answers and check the formatting; we do not assess whether renewing applies to you or what USCIS is deciding today.