Temporary Protected Status for El Salvador

DHS – TPS

DHS announced yesterday (January 7) that Temporary Protected Status (TPS) has been extended 18 months for eligible nationals of El Salvador. It is effective as of March 10, 2015 and extends until September 9, 2016. The strict 60-day re-registration period started yesterday and ends March 9, 2015.

Temporary Protected Status exists to protect a certain country’s nationals from returning to their home country in times the country is suffering extraordinary circumstances, such as armed conflicts, epidemics, or environmental disasters. The Secretary of Homeland Security (Jeh Johnson) has the authority to designate TPS for a country if he believes the conditions are too dangerous for nationals of that country currently in the United States to return safely. The nationals must already be in the United States for TPS at the time of TPS designation. For example, TPS from Honduras requires continuous residence since December 30, 1998 . TPS is not permanent immigration status, but TPS confers a safeguard against removal from the US and the ability to obtain employment authorization and travel authorization. It does not lead to other immigration statuses like a green card, but a TPS recipient is not barred from applying for nonimmigrant status, adjusting status, or applying for any other immigration benefit by virtue of TPS. Primary and secondary forms of evidence are required to file for TPS, in order to demonstrate eligibility for nationality, identity, date of entry, and continuous residence in the United States.

The current TPS designated countries, in addition to El Salvador, are Republic of Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan, Haiti, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Syria. The West African nations of Republic of Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone are the most recent additions and were designated for 18 months of TPS in November 2014 because of the outbreak of the Ebola virus.