TPS Extended for Six Countries through January 4, 2021

On November 4, 2019,  the administration announced it will automatically extend TPS for all the nationalities who have had TPS and have sued the government challenging the legality of  its decisions to terminate their TPS.

Congress created TPS to allow foreign-born individuals already in the U.S. when natural disasters strike or civil conflicts erupt or escalate in their home countries to apply to stay and work legally in the U.S., until our government determines they can return.   Over 300,000 individuals nationwide from the affected countries  have TPS, many of whom have lived in the U.S. for more than 20 years.  Maine has several hundred TPS holders who are contributing members of our communities and workforce.

The following TPS recipients’ status is automatically extended through January 4, 2021, as long as they filed to re-register for TPS in the most recent two re-registration periods for their respective countries:
        • El Salvador
        • Haiti
        • Honduras
        • Nepal
        • Nicaragua
        • Sudan

Those TPS holders who qualify for the automatic extension do not need to file any applications with USCIS to benefit from the extension.  For work authorization purposes, they only need to show employers this Federal Register notice together with their work permits – that appear on their face to be expired – if those work permits include the classification and dates specified in the Federal Register notice.

The administration is providing the automatic extension to comply with federal court orders preventing it from terminating TPS for these individuals.  The government is appealing the court orders, but must comply with the court orders while the appeals are pending.

The House of Representatives passed H.R. 6, The American Dream and Promise Act over the summer with a bipartisan majority to provide a path to permanent residency for these TPS holders.  It’s time for the Senate to do the same, to end the uncertainty facing TPS holders and the communities and employers that have embraced them.