DHS announced that the Trump administration is extending validity of work permits for Salvadorans with TPS through January 4, 2021. The administration is also providing Salvadorans with TPS an additional 365 days after the conclusion of TPS-related lawsuits to repatriate to their home country.
Re-Registration for Individuals with TPS under Syria’s Designation
WASHINGTON—U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced today that current beneficiaries of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) under Syria’s designation who want to maintain their status through March 31, 2021, must re-register between Sept. 23 and Nov. 22, 2019.
Re-registration procedures, including how to renew employment authorization documents (EADs), have been published in the Federal Register and are available at uscis.gov/tps.
All applicants must submit Form I-821, Application for Temporary Protected Status. Applicants may also request an EAD by submitting Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization, when they file Form I-821 or separately at a later date.
USCIS will issue new EADs with a March 31, 2021, expiration date to eligible beneficiaries under Syria’s TPS designation who timely re-register and apply for an EAD. Given the timeframe for processing TPS re-registration applications, we recognize that not all re-registrants will receive a new EAD before their current EAD expires on Sept. 30, 2019. Accordingly, USCIS has automatically extended the validity of those EADs for 180 days, through March 28, 2020. This automatic extension also covers individuals who have an EAD with an expiration date of March 31, 2018, and who applied for a new EAD during the last re-registration period but have not yet received their new EAD.
On Aug. 1, Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Kevin K. McAleenan announced that the statutory conditions supporting Syria’s TPS designation on the basis of ongoing armed conflict and extraordinary and temporary conditions continue to exist and that the designation should be extended for 18 months. Secretary McAleenan made his decision after reviewing country conditions and consulting with appropriate U.S. government agencies. As a result, Syria’s TPS designation is extended through March 31, 2021.
TPS El Salvador EADs Listing a September 9, 2019 Expiration Date Remain Valid through January 2, 2020
EADs that show a category code of “A-12” or “C-19” and an expiration date of 09/09/2019 are valid through January 2, 2020. Workers do not need to present additional documentation (such as an I-797C receipt notice) for this automatic extension for the Form I-9. USCIS automatically extended through January 2, 2020, the validity of certain EADs issued to individuals with Temporary Protected Status (TPS). The automatic extension applies to several TPS-designated countries, including El Salvador. For more information, visit USCIS’s webpage on TPS El Salvador. Read the March 1, 2019 Federal Register Notice announcing the automatic extension. Call IER at 1-800-255-7688 (1-800-237-2515 TTY)
TPS to Green Card
USCIS Issues Policy Memorandum Designating AAO Decision in Matter of H-G-G- as an Adopted Decision
USCIS issued a policy memo designating Matter of H-G-G- as an adopted decision, noting that “For purposes of adjustment of status under section 245 of the Act, a recipient of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) is considered as being in and maintaining lawful status as a nonimmigrant only during the period that TPS is in effect; a grant of TPS does not constitute an admission, nor does it cure or otherwise impact any previous unlawful status.” Matter of H-G-G-, Adopted Decision 2019-01 (AAO July 31, 2019)
DHS Acting Secretary Announces Extension of TPS for Syria
DHS Acting Secretary McAleenan announced that he has extended Syria’s TPS designation for 18 months. The extension permits current Syrian TPS beneficiaries to re-register for TPS and remain in the U.S. with work authorization through March 31, 2021. There are approximately 7,000 Syrian TPB beneficiaries, per DHS.
Further details about this extension for TPS, including information about the re-registration process and employment authorization documents, will appear in a Federal Register notice.