|
|
 |
Ice on Immigration:
Salvadorans may re-register for Temporary Protected Status
By L. Patricia Ice, Featured
Columnist
Question: When is the new re-registration period for
Salvadorans with Temporary Protected Status (TPS)?
Answer: The Secretary of Homeland Security (Secretary) can grant TPS to
eligible nationals of designated countries suffering the effects of an
ongoing armed conflict, environmental disaster or other extraordinary or
temporary condition. When the Secretary has designated a county for TPS,
beneficiaries may not be removed from the United States and they may
receive employment authorization. TPS does not lead to lawful permanent
resident status. When the Secretary terminates a county's TPS
designation, a beneficiary returns to the immigration status s/he had
prior to TPS.
On
March 19, 2001, the United States Attorney General (AG) designated El
Salvador for TPS due to the devastation caused by a series of severe
earthquakes. Since that date, the AG and the Secretary have extended TPS
for El Salvador four times, determining in each instance that the
conditions warranting the designation continued to be met.
The
60 day re-registration period for citizens of El Salvador begins on
August 21, 2007 and ends on October 22, 2007. A Salvadoran with a
current TPS employment authorization card (EAD) has an extension of the
validity of the card until March 9, 2008. This year, all applicants
whose TPS re-registration is approved and who request EAD's will receive
new cards. No stickers will be issued.
To
re-register for TPS under this extension, a current TPS beneficiary must
submit a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Form I-821 Application
for Temporary Protected Status without the filing fee, a DHS I-765
Application for Employment Authorization with the filing fee of
$340 or a fee waiver request, and an $80 biometrics services fee or fee
waiver request for each applicant age 14 and older as well as
re-registrants younger than age 14 who are requesting EADs. If the
applicant is only seeking to re-register for TPS and not seeking an
extension of the EAD, there is no filing fee for the Form I-765, but the
applicant must still file the Form I-765 for the TPS extension. The
forms and fees must be sent to the DHS Chicago lockbox at USCIS,
Attention: TPS El Salvador, P.O. Box 8635, Chicago, IL 60680-8635.
To
find out more information and to determine if you are eligible for TPS
El Salvador re-registration contact an immigration attorney or a
representative accredited by the Bureau of Immigration Appeals (BIA).
You may also check the immigration web site at
http://www.uscis.gov/.
|
Featured
