Temporary Protected Status Designated Country: Somalia
ALERT: On Jul. 19, 2024, Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas announced the extension and redesignation of Somalia for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for 18 months. This extension and redesignation will be in effect from Sep. 18, 2024, through Mar. 17, 2026.
For additional information, please see the Federal Register notice.
Alert: Before sending your package to USCIS, make sure that all the forms you have completed are the current acceptable edition. The current acceptable edition can be found under the Edition Date section listed on each form’s webpage.
You can also find the edition date at the bottom of the page on the form and instructions. For each form that you are submitting, make sure that all pages are from the same form edition. If any of the form’s pages are from a different form edition, we may reject your form. Watch USCIS Forms: Download the most recent version! to see how to ensure your form is acceptable.
For additional guidance on filing paper-based forms at the Lockbox and how to avoid or correct common errors before you file, please visit the Five Steps to File at the USCIS Lockbox webpage.
| TPS Extended Through: | Mar. 17, 2026 |
|---|---|
| Re-registration Period for Noncitizens Who Already Have TPS: | Jul. 22, 2024 – Sep. 20, 2024 |
| Registration Period for People Who are Applying for TPS for the First Time: | Jul. 22, 2024 – Mar. 17, 2026 |
| Employment Authorization Document (EAD) Auto-Extended Through: | Sep. 17, 2025 |
| Continuous Residence in United States Since: | Jul. 12, 2024 |
| Continuous Physical Presence in United States Since: | Sep. 18, 2024 |
| Initial TPS Designation Date: | Sep. 16, 1991 |
| Current TPS Designation Dates: | Sep. 18, 2024 |
| Federal Register Notice Citation: | 89 FR 59135 |
To maintain TPS, you must re-register during the 60-day re-registration period that runs from Jul. 22, 2024 through Sep. 20, 2024. We encourage you to register as soon as possible within the 60-day re-registration period.
If you are filing an initial application for TPS under Somalia’s redesignation, effective Sep. 18, 2024, you must register during the registration period that runs from Jul. 22, 2024 through Mar. 17, 2026. We encourage you to register as soon as possible within the registration period.
Go to the TPS webpage for information about registering.
If you are applying for TPS Somalia, you may file Form I-821, Application for Temporary Protected Status, online. When filing an initial TPS application or re-registering for TPS, you can also request an Employment Authorization Document (EAD) by submitting a completed Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization, online with your Form I-821.
You may request a waiver of the fees for Form I-821, Form I-765, or both by filing Form I-912, Request for Fee Waiver. However, if you request a fee waiver, you must file a paper application.
If you are filing a paper initial TPS application or re-registering for TPS, or if you are filing for a replacement EAD for TPS you were already granted, send your TPS package to the appropriate address in the table below.
| If you send your paper application via: | Then, mail your application to: |
|---|---|
| U.S. Postal Service: | USCIS Attn: TPS Somalia P.O. Box 6943 Chicago, IL 60680-6943 |
| FedEx, UPS, or DHL: | USCIS Attn: TPS Somalia (Box 6943) 131 S. Dearborn St., 3rd Floor Chicago, IL 60603-5517 |
We have automatically extended through Sept. 17, 2025, the validity of Employment Authorization Documents (EADs) issued under the TPS designation for Somalia with an original expiration date of Sept. 17, 2024, or March 17, 2023.
To prove that you are authorized to continue working legally, you may show the following documentation to your employer. Government agencies may also accept this document if they need to verify your immigration status.
- Your TPS-related EAD with a Sep. 17, 2024, or Mar. 17, 2023, expiration date; and
- A copy of the Federal Register notice announcing the automatic extension.
Employers and government agencies may rely on the Federal Register notice as evidence of the continuing validity of your EAD. Go to I-9 Central’s Temporary Protected Status and Deferred Enforced Departure webpage for more information.
If we approve your TPS re-registration application and you paid the fee for a new EAD (or we approved your fee waiver request), we will issue you a new EAD with a Sept. 17, 2024, expiration date.
For more information on TPS eligibility requirements, what to file, and step-by-step instructions on submitting a re-registration or initial TPS application package, go to the TPS webpage. You can find the filing fees for TPS-related forms on our Fee Schedule page.
You might be eligible for other immigration options listed on the Explore My Options page.
To apply for lawful permanent resident status (a Green Card), you must be eligible under one of the categories listed on the Green Card Eligibility Categories page. Once you find the category that may fit your situation, click on the link provided to get information on eligibility requirements, how to apply, and whether your family members can also apply with you.
For general questions about the employment eligibility verification process, visit I-9 Central and the TPS webpage; call USCIS at 888-464-4218 (TTY: 877-875-6028); or email USCIS at i-9central@uscis.dhs.gov. We accept calls and emails in English and many other languages.
For questions about avoiding discrimination during the employment eligibility verification process, you may also call the U.S. Department of Justice’s Immigrant and Employee Rights Section (IER) Employer Hotline (which offers language interpretation in many languages) at 800-255-8155 (TTY: 800- 237-2515), or email IER at osccrt@usdoj.gov.
Note on Seeking Asylum: Being granted and maintaining TPS until a reasonable period before the filing of the asylum application is considered an extraordinary circumstance for the purposes of the one-year filing deadline. In other words, having TPS “stops the clock” on the requirement to file for asylum within one year of arriving in the United States, if the one-year clock has not already expired. See 8 CFR 208.4(a)(5)(iv).
Please be aware that some unauthorized practitioners may try to take advantage of you by claiming they can file TPS forms. These same individuals may ask that you pay them to obtain such forms; however, all USCIS forms are free for download from the USCIS website at uscis.gov/forms. We want to ensure that all potential TPS applicants know how to obtain legitimate, accurate legal advice and assistance. A list of accredited representatives is available on the USCIS website on the Find Legal Services webpage.
We do not want you to become a victim of an immigration scam. If you need legal advice on immigration matters, make sure the person helping you is authorized to give legal advice. Only an attorney or an accredited representative working for a Department of Justice (DOJ) recognized organization can give you legal advice. Visit the Avoid Scams page for information and resources.
More Information
- Temporary Protected Status
- Muddada Dib-isku-Diiwaangalinta ayaa Hadda u Furan kuwa Heerka Ku-Meel-Gaarka Loo Ammaangaliyo ee loogu talagalay Soomaaliya. (PDF, 63.78 KB)
- Temporary Protected Status Extended for Somalia
- Xaalada Si kumeel gaadhka ah in loo ilaaliya ee loogu talagalay Wadanka: Somaliya
Forms
- Form I-821, Application for Temporary Protected Status
- Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization
- Form I-131, Application for Travel Documents, Parole Documents, and Arrival/Departure Records
- Form I-912, Request for Fee Waiver
- Form I-601, Application for Waiver of Ground of Inadmissibility
Tools
Other USCIS Links
Non-USCIS Links