Temporary Protected Status re-registration period opens for Somali nationals

Somali nationals who want to maintain their Temporary Protected Status through March 17, 2020 must re-register between now and Oct. 26, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has announced.

Key points:

• The 60-day re-registration period runs from Aug. 27 to Oct. 26.
• Current beneficiaries under the Somali TPS designation must re-register for TPS using Form I-821, Application for Protected Status and apply for an Employment Authorization Document, or EAD, using Form I-765 within the 60-day period between now and Oct. 26.
• Given the short processing time frames and the fact that Somali nationals with TPS have EADs that will expire on Sept. 17, the Department of Homeland Security will automatically extend the validity of EADs issued under the TPS designation of Somalia for 180 days through March 16, 2019.
• New EADs with a March 17, 2020 expiration date will only be issued to eligible Somali TPS beneficiaries who complete the re-registration process before Oct. 26.

Background: DHS announced earlier this year that it would extend TPS for nationals of Somalia who qualify for the program. The Trump administration has moved to end TPS designation for a number of countries, but opted to extend it for Somalia, saying that “ongoing armed conflict and extraordinary and temporary conditions that support Somalia’s current designation for TPS continue to exist.”

BAL Analysis: The decision to extend TPS for Somalia reflects DHS’s conclusion that Somalia remains extremely dangerous. DHS will review conditions in Somalia at some point before March 17, 2020, to determine whether TPS should be extended again. 

This alert has been provided by the BAL U.S. Practice group. For additional information, please contact berryapplemanleiden@bal.com.

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