Directly from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Daily Digest Bulletin: "WASHINGTON—Secretary
of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson has redesignated Syria for Temporary
Protected Status (TPS) and extended the existing TPS designation for the
country from April 1, 2015, through Sept. 30, 2016. This allows eligible
nationals of Syria (or persons without nationality who last habitually
resided in Syria) to register or re-register for TPS in accordance with the notice published today in the Federal
Register.
Who is Eligible
|
Current TPS Status
|
When to File
|
Current
TPS beneficiaries from Syria
|
Have TPS
|
To
extend your TPS, you must re-register during a 60-day re-registration
period that runs from Jan. 5, 2015, through March 6, 2015.
|
Syrian nationals and persons
without nationality who last habitually resided in Syria, who have:
- Continuously
resided in the United States since Jan. 5, 2015, and
- Been
continuously physically present in the United States since April 1,
2015.
|
Do not have TPS
|
To
obtain TPS, you may apply for TPS during a 180-day initial registration
period that runs from Jan. 5, 2015, through July 6, 2015.
|
During the past year, the
Department of Homeland Security and the Department of State reviewed the
conditions in Syria. Based upon this review, Secretary Johnson determined
that a redesignation and 18-month extension of TPS for Syria is warranted due
to an ongoing armed conflict and extraordinary and temporary conditions in
Syria that prevent its nationals from returning in safety.
Individuals
re-registering for TPS:
Current Syrian TPS
beneficiaries seeking to extend their TPS status must re-register during a
60-day period that runs from Jan. 5, 2015, through March 6, 2015. U.S.
Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) encourages beneficiaries to
re-register as soon as possible once the 60-day period begins. USCIS will not
accept applications before Jan. 5, 2015.
The 18-month extension allows
TPS re-registrants to apply for a new Employment Authorization Document
(EAD). Eligible Syria TPS beneficiaries who re-register during the 60-day
period and request a new EAD will receive one with an expiration date of
Sept. 30, 2016. USCIS recognizes that some re-registrants may not receive
their new EADs until after their current EADs expire. Therefore, USCIS is
automatically extending current TPS Syria EADs with a March 31, 2015,
expiration date for an additional six months. These existing EADs are now
valid through Sept. 30, 2015.
To re-register, individuals
must submit:
· The Form I-765 application fee, but only if they want
an EAD (All individuals re-registering for TPS who want an EAD must pay the
Form I-765 fee, regardless of their age); and
· The biometric services fee if they are age 14 or older.
Individuals applying
for TPS for the first time:
For Syrian nationals (and
persons having no nationality who last habitually resided in Syria) who do
not currently have TPS, the TPS redesignation may allow them to apply for TPS
if they have continuously resided in the United States since Jan. 5, 2015,
and have been continuously physically present in the United States since April 1, 2015. In
addition, applicants must meet all other TPS eligibility and filing
requirements.
To apply for the first time,
individuals must submit:
· The Form I-821 application fee;
· The Form I-765 application fee, but only if they want
an EAD and are 14 to 65 years old (Those who are under age 14 or are age 66
and older do not need to pay the Form I-765 fee with their initial TPS
application); and
· The biometrics services fee if they are age 14 or
older.
Individuals who still
have a pending initial TPS application under Syria do not need to submit a new Form I-821. However, if
such individuals currently have a TPS-related EAD and want a new EAD, they
must submit:
· 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.
DHS anticipates that
approximately 5,000 individuals will be eligible to re-register for TPS under
the existing designation of Syria and estimates that approximately 5,000
additional individuals may be eligible for TPS under the redesignation.
Applicants may request that
USCIS waive any fees based on 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. USCIS will reject the TPS
application of any applicant who fails to submit the required filing fees or
a properly documented fee-waiver request.
Additional
information about TPS for Syria—including guidance on eligibility, the
application process and where to file—is available online at www.uscis.gov/tps. The Federal Register notice published today contains
further details about this extension and redesignation of Syria for TPS,
including application requirements and procedures, and the automatic
six-month extension of current TPS Syria EADs.
All USCIS forms are free. Applicants can download these forms from the USCIS
website at www.uscis.gov/forms or request forms by calling USCIS toll-free at
1-800-870-3676.
Applicants seeking information about the
status of their individual cases can check My Case Status Online or call the USCIS National Customer Service Center at
1-800-375-5283 (TTY 1-800-767-1833)."
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