USCIS

Tuesday, August 18, 2015, is the deadline for eligible nationals of Liberia, Guinea, and Sierra Leone (and people without nationality who last habitually resided in one of those three countries) to register for Temporary Protected Status (TPS). This deadline marks the end of DHS’ 90-day extension of the initial registration period. The TPS designations for these three countries run from Nov. 21, 2014, through May 21, 2016.

• Update to Form I-865, Sponsor's Notice of Change of Address. New edition dated 07/17/15. (On Sept. 24, 2015, USCIS will accept only the 07/17/15 edition. USCIS will not accept editions dated 1/03/13 or 10/26/10 on or afterSept. 24, 2015.) The edition date can be found at the bottom of every page on the Form and Instructions.

DACA recipients should be advised the three-year work permit recall only applies to SOME individuals who received a card after the February 16, 2015, court order. If you received a letter or were contacted directly by USCIS regarding the recall of certain three-year work permits, you must IMMEDIATELY return your three-year work permit, also called an Employment Authorization Document, to your local USCIS office.

Friday, July 31, 2015, is the deadline for current Somalia Temporary Protected Status (TPS) beneficiaries to re-register for the 18-month extension of TPS that runs from Sept. 18, 2015, through March 17, 2017. The law requires USCIS to withdraw TPS for failure to re-register without good cause. Therefore, if you fail to re-register by this deadline, you may lose your TPS and your work authorization.

If you are a DACA recipient who received a three-year Employment Authorization Document (EAD) after February 16, 2015, it was likely mistakenly issued and must be returned. 

On April 7, 2015, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, in Shalom Pentecostal Church v. Acting Secretary DHS, 783 F.3d 156 (3d Cir. 2015), found the regulatory requirements that qualifying work experience gained in the United States must have been acquired in lawful status (herein “lawful status requirements”) in 8 CFR 204.5(m)(4) and (11) to be beyond the Department’s legal authority (ultra vires). The court found that the statute was clear and unambiguous and that the regulation was inconsistent with the statute.

National Effort Highlights Agency’s Free Citizenship Preparation Tools

Due to changes in processing within the Vermont Service Center (VSC), Requests for Evidence (RFEs) issued by the VSC will no longer be printed on yellow stock paper, but as of July 6, 2015, will instead be printed on white paper. As always, this document needs to be returned to the VSC with any evidence submitted in response to the request. 

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is extending the initial registration deadline for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) from May 20, 2015, to Aug. 18, 2015, for eligible nationals of Liberia, Guinea, and Sierra Leone (and people without nationality who last habitually resided in one of those three countries).

WASHINGTON—Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson announced his decision to designate Nepal for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for 18 months based on the conditions resulting from the devastating magnitude 7.8 earthquake that struck Nepal on April 25, 2015, and the subsequent aftershocks. As a result, eligible nationals of Nepal residing in the United States may apply for TPS with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).