February 24, 2006

Department of Homeland Security Announces Extension of TPS

In a continuing effort to assist El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua in recovering from the natural disasters that affected the Central American region, the Department of Homeland Security has announced a decision to extend Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for an additional 12 months for all three countries.

Under this extension, nationals of El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua who have already been granted and remain eligible for TPS will be able to continue living and working in the United States for an additional 12 months. This extension covers approximately 225,000 Salvadorans, 75,000 Hondurans, and 4,000 Nicaraguans. This extension of these TPS designations will expire on September 9, 2007 for El Salvador and on July 5, 2007 for Honduras and Nicaragua.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will provide additional information about the re-registration process and answers to frequently asked questions upon publication of Notices in the Federal Register soon. Therefore, re-registration applications will not be accepted before the registration period is announced for each nation.