Due to an error, many Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients received three-year Employment Authorization Documents (EAD) after a court injunction went into effect on February 16, 2015. According to Berd & Klauss, PLLC, immigration law specialists in New York, approximately 2,100 of these documents were mistakenly issued. If you received one of these documents, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) advises that it should be returned immediately, along with any other related approval notices.

The USCIS has already taken steps to ensure that each recipient of these erroneous documents will receive a corrected two-year deferment notice and appropriate work authorization paperwork. If you received an erroneous document, you should have been notified of the error and already received your updated paperwork, so be sure to return the previously issued, incorrect documents. The number of returned cards is being closely monitored, and additional steps will be taken to retrieve any that aren’t returned promptly.

Furthermore, another 500 cards approved and sent before the February 16 court injunction were returned by the U.S. Postal Service and subsequently re-mailed after the order went into effect. These EADs are also invalid and must be returned immediately.

Immigration authorities will be contacting anyone who is still in possession of the three-year documents either by phone or in person. If you received one of the approximately 108,000 three-year EADs issued to DACA recipients on or before February 16, 2015, know that these documents are valid and do not need to be returned or corrected.

The immigration attorneys at Berd & Klauss, PLLC offer a broad range of legal services, including assistance with DACA applications. Visit their web site to learn more, or call (212) 461-7152 to schedule a consultation today.