U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services opened the re-registration period Tuesday for current beneficiaries of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Nepal who want to continue to maintain their status. The program will be terminated on June 24, 2019.

Key dates and deadlines:

  • Current beneficiaries under the Nepal TPS designation must re-register by submitting Form I-821, Application for Temporary Protected Status, as well as applying for an employment authorization document on Form I-765 between May 22, 2018 and July 23, 2018 if they want to maintain their TPS status.
  • USCIS will issue new employment authorization documents with a June 24, 2019 expiration date—the date when the TPS designation for Nepal will be terminated.
  • Current employment authorization documents that are set to expire on June 24, 2018 are automatically extended through Dec. 21, 2018 to prevent them from lapsing while applications for them are pending.

Background: The Trump administration ended the TPS designation for Nepal last month with a delayed effective date of June 24, 2019. The Department of Homeland Security has also terminated TPS designation for El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Sudan, and has ended Deferred Enforced Departure for Liberian nationals.

BAL Analysis: Nepalese nationals should re-register as soon as possible and not wait until the end of the re-registration period. Employers should be aware of the automatic extension of currently valid TPS Nepal employment authorization documents. The Department of Homeland Security has advised Nepalese nationals to explore other visa categories or plan to leave the country by June 24, 2019.

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

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