This morning DHS Acting Secretary David Pekoske announced that Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Syria will be renewed and re-designated. ADC welcomes this swift action by the Biden Administration to protect that status of thousands of Syrian nationals in the country. This summer ADC had requested the Biden campaign make this issue a priority, and last week submitted a request to the Administration for the extension and renewal.
According to DHS, this action enables over 6,700 eligible Syrian nationals (and individuals without nationality who last resided in Syria) to retain their TPS through September 2022 and allows approximately 1,800 additional individuals to file initial applications to obtain such status.
The DHS Secretary has the authority to designate a country for TPS due to conditions in the country that temporarily prevent the country’s nationals from returning safely, such as armed conflict and natural disasters. During a designated period, individuals who are TPS beneficiaries are not removable from the United States by DHS, and may obtain an employment authorization document (EAD).
Current beneficiaries under Syria’s TPS designation are eligible to re-register for an extension of their status for 18 months. Syrian nationals who entered the United States after August 1, 2016 and are otherwise eligible may register as well. DHS will publish a notice in the Federal Register with instructions for re-registration and employment authorization. The DHS Secretary will make the next decision to extend or terminate the designation for Syria on or before July 31, 2022.
ADC will provide updates on the specifics of the new registration periods once published by DHS. If you have questions related to TPS please email the ADC Legal Department to legal@adc.org.