Review the Frequently Asked Questions below before you apply online to our Winter 2020 California-Mexico Dreamers Study Abroad Program.
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1. ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS:
1A: What are the eligibility requirements?
In order to be considered and accepted into our program, you must meet all of the following criteria:
- Be 21 years-old or older at the time of travel, and speak fluent Spanish.
- Must demonstrate leadership and maturity to travel independently abroad
- Have an active DACA status.
- Have already or obtained a valid passport from the respective country of origin
- If applicant is Mexican-born, he/she must commit to apply to, and attain the Instituto Nacional Electoral’s (INE) Credencial para Votar en el Extranjero before traveling to Mexico on December 15, 2020.
- Must have no criminal and/or immigration record.
- Must participate in ALL PROGRAM activities from December 15, 2020 to January 19, 2021.
- Must be able to pay the $3,000 program fee + $575 Advance Parole travel permit fee.
1B: Is there any age cap to participate in the program?
No, there is no age cap. Anyone 21 years or older who can demonstrate leadership and maturity to travel independently abroad, can apply.
1C: My current work permit / DACA will be expiring soon but I am currently renewing it, can I still apply?
In order to qualify for our program and to apply for Advance Parole, your current DACA/work permit must not expire before our program travel dates. Participants must have an active DACA status upon return, otherwise you will be jeopardizing your DACA status and may not be allowed back in the U.S. However, you will be considered for the program if you are renewing your permit but your current DACA will not expire until at least a month after our return date on January 19, 2021.
1D: I‘ve previously been charged with a felony, misdemeanor, DUI, arrest, pending court appearance, order of deportation, or any other criminal and/or immigration record, do I qualify to apply?
No. Unfortunately, if you have been charged with a felony, misdemeanor, DUI, arrest, pending court appearance, order of deportation, or any other outstanding criminal record, we will not accept you into our program. We do this for your own safety given that U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) will do a background check upon reentry and they have all the authority to deny your entrance.
1E: I already graduated and/or I am not attending school, do I still qualify to apply?
Absolutely yes. We encourage everyone who meets the requirements to apply.
1F: I live outside of the Los Angeles area, or in another state, do I qualify to apply?
Yes, we welcome and encourage applicants from any state in the United States to apply for our Winter 2020 California-Mexico Dreamers Study Abroad Program. However, keep in mind that our program requires participants to reenter the U.S. through the Tijuana-San Diego border entry, which is in California. Thus, you have to plan for and pay at your own expense any additional flight(s) and/or ground transportation required to arrive at your final destination.
1G: I am a DACA beneficiary but I am not Mexican, do I qualify to apply to your program?
Yes, DACA recipients from all nationalities are welcome to apply to our program as long as they are fluent Spanish-speakers, given that the entire program will be conducted in Spanish.
1H: What is the “Credencial de Elector” (INE card), how do I get one, and why are we required to get one?
La Credencial de Elector del Instituto Nacional Electoral (INE) is the most widely used form of identification in Mexico (as opposed to the “matricula consular”, which is given in the U.S. and is not recognized as an official identification in Mexico). The INE credential card also allows Mexican citizens living abroad to vote in Mexico’s presidential elections. We will require all Mexican-born Dreamer participants to apply to attain their INE Credential before going to Mexico to be used as their main identification and as an additional safety measure while traveling in Mexico. By doing so, Mexican-born participants will not have to use their passport or DACA cards as identification when boarding flights or entering places that require an ID while in Mexico. This ensures that you keep your U.S.-granted IDs and passport in a safe place until your return to the U.S.
Important note: If you are an applicant who is a citizen of another country, you DO NOT need to apply for an INE card.
Please visit our INE Card Instructions page to find out how you can obtain one in a timely manner before our Winter 2020 program starts.
1I: Can U.S. citizens or non-DACA holders apply to participate in your program?
No. This program is specifically designed for undocumented immigrants who have an active DACA status.
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2. PROGRAM APPLICATION PROCESS:
2A: I already completed my online application, what happens next?
After completing your online application, you must also send us your letter of recommendation by July 31, 2020 11:59 pm PST in order to be considered for our program. Please email your letter to info@calmexcenter.org and name the file in the following format: FirstName_LastName_LOR. If your reference is sending it directly to us, have them follow the same guidelines.
2B: When will I know if I was accepted into the program?
We project to have a final selection or participants by August 15, 2020 or prior.
2C: If I don’t get selected, will you be offering other Dreamers study abroad opportunities in the near future that I can apply to?
Yes. Anyone not selected will be considered for future programs and will be kept informed of other study abroad programs that we host or at different colleges and universities. Subscribe to our newsletter to find out about future program opportunities.
2D: I have applied to one of your programs before, do I need to re-apply again and re-send a letter of Recommendation?
Yes, you do have to reapply and submit a new online application. However, if you have previously applied to one of our programs and submitted any Letters of Recommendation (LORs), you are not required to resubmit them again.
2E: I applied, but haven’t received any information from you guys. What should I do?
If you don’t receive an email within 5 days after applying, check your spam or send us an email to: info@calmexcenter.org
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3. PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS:
3A: By when do we have to pay the $3,000 program fee and Advance Parole fee?
Selected participants will be required to pay the program fee of $3,000 and their Advance Parole application ($575) in the following manner:
- A $500 non-refundable deposit is due upon applicant’s acceptance into the program.
- The Advance Parole Application fee ($575) has to be paid at the time you send out your application, but no later than September 15, 2020. You will make a money order payable to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
- The rest of the program fee ($2,500) will be paid to The California-Mexico Studies Center, Inc. upon approval of applicant’s Advance Parole (I-131) application.
3B: What does the $3,000 program fee include?
The $3,000 program fee include the following:
- Advance Parole application preparation, legal advice and filing assistance.
- Spanish and Mexican culture instruction at the CILAC Freire Institute.
- Housing, meals, field-trips, and travel insurance for the duration of the program.
- A home-stay living experience with Mexican host families.
- Local transportation and lawful re-entry into the U.S.
- A chance for Dreamers to visit their birthplace, conduct family ethnographic research, and discover Mexico independently.
- Psychological counseling and group therapy sessions.
- Leadership skills to create similar programs and/or other projects that benefit Dreamers to“pay-it-forward” as required by the program’s mission.
3C: Are there any fee-waivers or additional grants/scholarships that we can apply to?
There are no CMSC fee-waivers or additional funds to pay for the program; selected participants will have to solicit, fundraise, or secure funding on their own.
3D: Will students be able to travel independently and visit their birthplace or discover Mexico? If so, for how long?
Yes. The program has been designed to give participants the unique opportunity to conduct independent travel and ethnographic research on their family origins, which will allow them to visit their family and birthplace at the participant’s own time availability anywhere from December 15, 2020 to January 7, 2021, prior to the beginning of the program in Mexico City. However, all participating Dreamers will be required to arrive to Mexico City by January 8, 2021 to begin the historical and cultural immersion program at CETLALIC.
3E: Do participants have to fly out from California to their birthplace?
No, participants can take a direct flight from anywhere in the U.S. to their destination in Mexico as long as they do so between December 15, 2020 and January 7, 2021. However, all participants are required to will be required to arrive to Mexico City by January 8, 2021 to begin the historical and cultural immersion program at CILAC Freire.
3F: Can I travel to other countries during the independent family travel?
If you are a Dreamer from another country other than Mexico, you can travel to your own country during the designated independent/family visitation days from Dec. 15, 2020 to January 7, 2021. However, details on how to apply for advance parole to visit more than one country will be discussed on an individual basis after you have been accepted to the program.
3G: May I return before or after the program is over (before January 19, 2021)?
No, Advance Parole permits are issued for specific dates, therefore in order to secure a successful return, it is a program policy that you return to the U.S. collectively as a group on January 19, 2021. Participants will only be allowed to return prior to the end of the program in case of an emergency. However, participants will not receive a refund for the days of the program at which they did not participate.
3I: How can I help to take this kind of program to other campuses to benefit other dreamers?
Please apply, if selected, by the end of the program, you will be fully prepared to implement or assist in the development of similar programs.
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4. ADVANCE PAROLE APPLICATION PROCESS & TRAVEL SAFETY:
4A: Do I have to file for Advance Parole prior to applying to your program?
No, you don’t have to apply for Advance Parole prior to applying to our program. Once selected, participants will be instructed on how to apply for Advance Parole under the supervision and guidance of CMSC staff and legal counsel.
4B: Will I receive supporting paperwork about the program to include with my Advance Parole application?
Yes. The CMSC will provide all supporting documentation and guidance to prepare and complete the Advance Parole applications that are specific to this travel-study program.
4C: Are we going to get legal assistance to apply for Advance Parole?
Yes. All selected participants will prepare their Advance Parole applications under the guidance and supervision of the CMSC and legal counsel.
4D: Does the $3,00 program fee include the Advance Parole application fee ($575)?
No, the program fee covers the legal assistance to prepare the Advance Parole applications, the in-Mexico housing, meals, field trips, travel insurance, transportation from/to all program activities, and the CILAC Freire Institute classes, but it does not cover for the actual Advance Parole permit. You must pay $575 for your Advance Parole application fee to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. (Buy a money order in the amount of $575 and make it payable to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security).
4E: If my Advance Parole application gets denied, will your organization refund the money?
The application fees for Advance Parole may be refunded by USCIS if the application is administratively suspended, or they will keep the fees if the application is processed, regardless if it is denied or approved. All applicants must take full responsibility for the Advance Parole (I-131 Form) application fee, which they pay at their own risk. The CMSC will not refund any fees for applications denied by USCIS, but the CMSC will provide assistance to appeal the Notice of Intent to Deny, which precedes the Letter of Denial, and your Advance Parole application will become part of our class action suit as we will continue advocating for your Advance Parole.
4F: How safe is traveling/studying abroad with Advance Parole? Have there been any problems with previous participants upon return?
The Winter 2020 program is the 7th California-Mexico Dreamers Study Abroad Program organized by the CMSC since 2014, which have provided over 160 Dreamers the opportunity to visit Mexico since the pilot program in Spring of 2014. The CMSC enjoys a track-record of 100% lawful re-entry and no legal complications to any past participants, all returning to the U.S. through inspection and therefore clearing the prior unlawful entry when they were brought into the country as children.
One of the CMSC’s policies to ensure a successful and safe return is the fact that we require all participants to return as a group at the same time. Returning as a group not only relieves the anxiety participants may feel when coming back on their own, since they are part of an academic program that involves a large group of Dreamers. Also, the CMSC provides group therapy sessions to fully prepare the participants for their travel in Mexico and prior to returning to the U.S., to ensure they benefit from a comprehensive educational, cultural and family reconnection that is life-changing.
Also, the CMSC has a close working relationship with over 100 U.S. Representatives and Senators, as well as close ties with Mexico’s Secretaría de Relaciones Exteriores (SRE), the U.S. Embassy of Mexico in Washington, D.C., and the General Consulates of Mexico in Los Angeles and San Diego that have previously provided the CMSC with legal assistance and representation.
Moreover, the CMSC provides participants with the required academic documentation that validates and supports their educational Advance Parole applications. But there has always been a risk factor when traveling with an Advance Parole permit regardless of the Administration in office, since the Advance Parole permit clearly states that reentry into the U.S. is not guaranteed.
However, if participating Dreamers have any undisclosed previous criminal record, or an outstanding legal issue in their records at the time of re-entry, this may prompt CBP to deny reentry. If you have a misdemeanor or have had a deportation order before, we must advise you not to participate in this program, because any outstanding citations, misdemeanors, arrests, a pending court appearance or order of deportation could be cause for Customs Border Protection (CBP) to deny your re-entry to the US.
Even if you have an active DACA status and an Advance Parole Permit, it is still up to the discretion of the CBP Officer to let you return into the U.S. Furthermore, all of the above mentioned circumstances are likely to appear in CBP’s system at the border.
Generally speaking however, participants with active DACA status and no criminal record, should have no problem being allowed back to the U.S.
4G: Why are you encouraging DACA recipients to apply for Advance Parole if USCIS is not accepting applications from DACA recipients anymore?
The CMSC is providing this opportunity for Dreamers for the following reasons:
- The CMSC launched in 2019 the Advance Parole Assistance Program as a way to challenge the administration’s discriminatory practice and refusal to consider I-131 Advance Parole applications for DACA recipients, and to establish grounds for class action litigation on behalf of all Dreamers.
- To help in particular those DACA recipients who have urgent humanitarian cases, and to pressure DHS to follow several federal Appeal Courts’ orders, that allowed them to grant Advance Parole for “deserving cases”, per the San Francisco Federal Court ruling of January 8, 2018.
- To assist DACA recipients with documentable humanitarian cases to file for humanitarian Advance Parole, as part of the CMSC’s 2019 National Campaign to Restore DACA’s Advance Parole.
- Now that the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled to fully restore DACA, the CMSC has decided to re-establish the Winter California-Mexico Dreamers Study Abroad Program, which was capriciously cancelled by USCIS three years ago in 2017.
If you have additional questions call CMSC Office at: (562) 430-5541
To return to the Winter 2020 California-Mexico Dreamers Study Abroad Program Application page click here
Also, please watch our Facebook Live information session from July 22, 2020, in which we answered questions, comments and concerns about our CMD Winter 2020 program. You can watch it on our Facebook Page or our Youtube Channel.