DHS Extends TPS for Salvadorans

Jeh Johnson, Secretary of Homeland Security, has extended temporary protected status (TPS) for eligible nationals of El Salvador for an additional 18 months, effective March 10, 2015, through September 9, 2016.
Current TPS El Salvador beneficiaries seeking to extend their TPS must re-register during the 60-day re-registration period that began on January 7, 2015, and runs through March 9, 2015. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) encourages beneficiaries to re-register as soon as possible.

The 18-month extension also allows TPS re-registrants to apply for a new employment authorization document (EAD). Eligible TPS El Salvador beneficiaries who re-register during the 60-day period and request a new EAD will receive one with an expiration date of September 9, 2016. USCIS recognizes that some re-registrants may not receive their new EADs until after their current ones expire. Therefore, USCIS is automatically extending current TPS El Salvador EADs that have a March 9, 2015, expiration date for an additional six months. These existing EADs will now be valid through September 9, 2015.

To re-register, current TPS beneficiaries must submit:

• Form I-821, Application for Temporary Protected Status (re-registrants do not need to pay the Form I-821 application fee).
• The biometrics services fee (or a fee waiver request) if they are 14 years old or older.
• Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization, regardless of whether they want a new EAD.
• The Form I-765 application fee or a fee waiver request, but only if they want an EAD. If the re-registrant does not want an EAD, no application fee is required.

Applicants may ask USCIS to waive the I-765 application fee or biometrics fee based on an inability to pay. To do so, applicants must file Form I-912, Request for Fee Waiver, or submit 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 El Salvador—including guidance on eligibility, the application process, and where to file—is available online at http://www.uscis.gov/tps. Further details about the extension of TPS for El Salvador, including application requirements and procedures, were published in the Federal Register on January 7, 2015.