TPS Extended for Syria for Additional 18 Months

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced today that it will extend the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designation for Syria for an additional 18 months until September 30, 2019.  Prior to this announcement, the current TPS designation for Syria was scheduled to expire on March 31, 2018. 

This is very welcome news for the approximately 7,000 Syrians in the U.S. who have TPS status.

DHS determined that the ongoing armed conflict and extraordinary conditions in Syria justified the extension.  Prior to September 30, 2019, DHS will conduct another review of the conditions in Syria to determine whether its TPS designation should be extended again or terminated.

Individuals from Syria with TPS status will be required to re-register during a yet-to-be-determined period that will be published by DHS soon.  The re-registration application is filed using USCIS Form I-812.  For those Syrians who received an Employment Authorization Document (EAD) under the TPS program, they will also need to renew their EAD using USCIS Form I-765.

USCIS will be updating it's Syria TPS information page soon to include more specific instructions on when, where and how to file re-registration applications and EAD renewal applications.

If you have questions about re-registering for TPS or renewing your EAD card, please contact us and an Ellis Porter attorney will be happy to guide you.