U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is reminding Hondurans, Nicaraguans and Salvadorans who are eligible for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to file a re-registration application for TPS before the end of the re-registration period, which ends on December 1, 2008 for Hondurans and Nicaraguans, and December 30, 2008 for Salvadorans.
The 18-month TPS extension for Hondurans and Nicaraguans will remain in effect until July 5, 2010, and until September 9, 2010 for Salvadorans. Nationals of Hondurans, Nicaragua, and El Salvador who have received TPS previously must re-register for the 18-month extension during the re-registration period. Failure to file a TPS re-registration application during the re-registration period without good cause will result in withdrawal of TPS benefits, including employment authorization and protection from removal from the U.S.
In order to apply for TPS re-registration, applicants must submit Form I-821, Application for Temporary Protected Status and Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization, with the required supporting documentation.
Background: What is Temporary Protected Status?
TPS is a temporary immigration status granted to eligible nationals of designated countries (or parts thereof). As part of the Immigration Act of 1990 (“IMMACT”), Congress established a procedure by which the Attorney General may provide TPS to aliens in the United States who are temporarily unable to safely return to their home country because of ongoing armed conflict, an environmental disaster, or other extraordinary and temporary conditions.
During the period for which a country has been designated for TPS, TPS beneficiaries may remain in the United States and may obtain work authorization. However, TPS does not lead to permanent resident status. When the USCIS terminates a TPS designation for a specific country, beneficiaries revert to the same immigration status they maintained before TPS (unless that status had since expired or been terminated) or to any other status they may have acquired while registered for TPS. Accordingly, if an alien had unlawful status prior to receiving TPS and did not obtain any status during the TPS designation, the alien reverts to unlawful status upon the termination of that TPS designation.
Harrison Alo, Attorneys at Law encourages eligible TPS applicants to pay close attention to the USCIS’ re-registration deadlines. For more information about TPS eligibility, the attorneys at Harrison Alo, Attorneys at Law are available to answer your TPS questions and address your concerns.
