The Department of Homeland Security yesterday published a Federal Register notice (FRN) announcing extensions of the registration periods from 180 days to 18 months for initial (new) applicants for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) under the designations of Venezuela and Burma, and the redesignation of Syria. This notice also provides certain specific corrections to the FRN regarding Venezuela (86 FR 13574).

After reevaluating the 180-day registration periods for initial TPS applicants announced for the designations of Venezuela and Burma and the redesignation of Syria, DHS has determined that limiting the registration period to 180 days may place a burden on initial TPS applicants who are unable to timely file but would otherwise be eligible for a grant of TPS. Extending the registration period does not extend or alter the expiration date of an applicant’s TPS, which remains the same regardless of the date of registration.

This filing extension will allow individuals to submit an initial Form I-821, Application for Temporary Protected Status, and an application for an Employment Authorization Document (if desired) at any time during the 18-month designation or redesignation periods for these three countries.

The 18-month registration period for initial applications under the TPS designation of Venezuela now runs through Sept. 9, 2022.

The 18-month registration period for initial applications under the TPS redesignation of Syria now runs through Sept. 30, 2022.

The 18-month registration period for initial applications under the TPS designation of Burma (Myanmar) now runs through Nov. 25, 2022.

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.

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.

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)