U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services opened the re-registration period today for current beneficiaries of Temporary Protected Status, or TPS, for Yemen who want to continue to maintain their status. The program has been extended until March 3, 2020.

Key dates and deadlines:

  • The 60-day re-registration period runs from Aug. 14 to Oct. 15.
  • Current beneficiaries under the Yemeni TPS designation must re-register by filing Form I-821, Application for Protected Status, and must also request work authorization by filing Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization, either simultaneously or at a later date.
  • USCIS will issue new employment authorization documents with an expiration date of March 3, 2020.
  • Current employment authorization documents that were issued under the TPS designation for Yemen and due to expire on Sept. 3, 2018, will be automatically extended for 180 days until March 2, 2019 to prevent them from lapsing while applications are pending.

Background: The Department of Homeland Security originally designated Yemen for TPS on Sept. 3, 2015 and re-designated it on March 4, 2017. On July 5, 2018, Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen announced that the status would be extended for 18 months until March 3, 2020 due to ongoing armed conflict and extraordinary conditions. Full reregistration instructions are available in the Federal Register announcement and on the USCIS website.

BAL Analysis: Current Yemeni TPS beneficiaries who want to maintain their status and employment authorization should re-register and apply for a new employment authorization document as soon as possible and not wait until their current one expires. Employers should be aware of the automatic extension of current employment authorization documents until March 2, 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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