Temporary Protected Status Extended for Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone for Six Months

DHS extended the designations of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for an additional six months. Although there have been significant improvements in the conditions in all three countries since their designations for TPS in November 2014, the lingering effects of the Ebola Virus Disease outbreak and continued recovery challenges support this six-month extension. The extended designation is effective May 22, 2016, through Nov. 21, 2016.

Current TPS Guinea, Liberia or Sierra Leone beneficiaries seeking to extend their TPS must re-register during a 60-day period that runs from March 22, 2016, through May 23, 2016. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) encourages beneficiaries to re-register as soon as possible.

Employment Authorization:

The six-month extension allows TPS re-registrants to apply for a new Employment Authorization Document (EAD). Eligible TPS beneficiaries who re-register during the 60-day period and request a new EAD will receive one with an expiration date of Nov. 21, 2016. USCIS recognizes that some re-registrants may not receive their new EADs until after their current work permits expire. Therefore, USCIS is automatically extending current TPS Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone EADs bearing a May 21, 2016 expiration date for six months. These existing EADs are now valid through Nov. 21, 2016.

Re-registering for TPS:

To re-register, current beneficiaries must submit:

Individuals who still have a pending initial TPS Guinea, Liberia or Sierra Leone application do not need to submit a new Form I-821. However, if they currently have a TPS-related EAD and want a new EAD, they should submit:

  • Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization;
  • The Form I-765 application fee, regardless of their age; and
  • A copy of the receipt notice for the initial Form I-821 that is still pending.

Additional information about TPS —including guidance on eligibility, the application process and where to file—is available at uscis.gov/tps. The Federal Register notices contain further details about these TPS extensions for Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, including application requirements and procedures, and the six-month auto-extension of current TPS Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone EADs.

USCIS will reject the TPS application of any applicant who fails to submit the required filing fees or a properly documented fee-waiver request. Applicants may request that USCIS waive any fees based on an inability to pay by filing Form I-912, Request for Fee Waiver, or by submitting a written request. Fee-waiver requests must be accompanied by supporting documentation.

All USCIS forms are free. Applicants can download these forms from the USCIS website at uscis.gov/forms or request forms by mail or by calling the USCIS Forms Request Line toll-free at 1-800-870-3676.

Applicants seeking information about the status of their cases can check My Case Status Online or call the USCIS National Customer Service Center at 1-800-375-5283 (TDD for the deaf and hard of hearing: 1-800-767-1833).

Agency

Add new comment

Filtered HTML

  • Web page addresses and email addresses turn into links automatically.
  • Lines and paragraphs break automatically.
  • Allowed HTML tags: <a href hreflang> <p> <h2 id> <h3 id> <h4 id> <h5 id> <h6 id> <em> <strong> <cite> <code> <ul type> <ol start type> <li> <dl> <dt> <dd><style> <drupal-entity data-*>
If you want to be notified of a response to your comment, please provide your email address.
CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.