On July 5, 2018, the Department of Homeland Security announced that it will extend Temporary Protected Status (TPS) through March 3, 2020 for nationals of Yemen whose current TPS is due to expire on September 3, 2018.
Eligible Yemenis must file their reregistration applications between August 14, 2018 and October 15, 2018. Their work permits are automatically extended through March 2, 2019. Employers must accept a copy of eligible Yemenis’ current work permits plus a copy of the Federal Register notice to update their I-9 forms during the USCIS adjudication process.
TPS is offered to citizens of countries that our government deems unsafe due to natural disasters or wars and civil conflict, so that those already in the U.S. when the Administration designates their country for TPS can apply to remain and work here legally. It is typically offered in 18 month increments, and has often been extended repeatedly. For example, Somalia has been designated for TPS since the early 1990s.
The Administration’s willingness to renew Yemeni TPS stands in contrast to its decisions over the past year to end TPS for individuals from El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, Nepal, Nicaragua, and Sudan. While the Administration estimates that about 1250 current Yemeni TPS beneficiaries will be able to extend their TPS, over 300,000 citizens of the countries named above will lose legal status and the ability to work and contribute to our communities and our economy when their current TPS ends, as MeBIC has noted previously.