DHS Extends TPS Re-Registration Periods for El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, Nepal, Nicaragua, and Sudan

On September 8, 2023, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced it would be extending from 60 days to 18 months the periods to re-register for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for TPS beneficiaries from El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, Nepal, Nicaragua, and Sudan. On December 13, 2023, DHS published a federal register notice reiterating the existing designations and providing the following dates for re-registration for these countries:

• El Salvador is currently open and now runs through March 9, 2025;
• Haiti is currently open and now runs through Aug. 3, 2024;
• Honduras is currently open and runs through July 5, 2025;
• Nepal is currently open and runs through June 24, 2025;
• Nicaragua is currently open and runs through July 5, 2025; and
• Sudan is currently open and now runs through April 19, 2025.

Per the news release published by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) in conjunction with the federal register notice publication on December 13, 2023:

[e]xtending re-registration allows current TPS beneficiaries to submit Form I-821, Application for Temporary Protected Status, at any time during the full extensions of the TPS designations of these six countries. They also may submit Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization, to obtain an Employment Authorization Document [(“EAD” or “work permit”)], if desired, during the full extension period. This announcement does not change the previously announced extensions of the TPS designations for these six countries, and it does not change the eligibility requirements. This re-registration extension is solely for TPS beneficiaries who properly filed for TPS during a previous registration period.

The news release cites as the reasoning behind the extension, the fact that “[l]imiting the re-registration period to 60 days for these particular beneficiaries might place a burden on applicants who cannot timely file, but who otherwise would be eligible to re-register for TPS” and the fact that “ongoing litigation resulted in overlapping periods of TPS validity that were announced in several Federal Register notices,” which may have caused some confusion. Thus, this new notice and announcement “allows beneficiaries of these countries who have not been required to re-register for TPS for the past few years due to litigation to re-register through the entire designation extension period.”

Salvadoran, Haitian, Honduran, Nepali, Nicaraguan, and Sudanese nationals present in the United States should consult with a qualified immigration attorney about their eligibility for TPS re-registration and about possible eligibility for any other immigration status or benefit that may allow them to reside in the United States lawfully