News & Alerts
On Feb. 20, 2025, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem partially vacated the July 1, 2024, notice that extended and redesignated Haiti for Temporary Protected Status (TPS). This new notice amends the period of extension and redesignation of Haiti for TPS from 18 months to 12 months and provides an amended end date of Aug. 3, 2025. EADs with a Category Code of A12 or C19 and a Card Expires date of Feb. 3, 2026, now expire on Aug. 3, 2025.
On Jan. 15, 2025, President Biden issued a memorandum extending eligibility for Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) for certain Hong Kong residents. The president also directed the secretary of the Department of Homeland Security to provide certain Hong Kong residents continued work authorization through Feb. 5, 2027. Individuals covered by DED Hong Kong have been extended through Feb. 5, 2027, and are not subject to removal. At this time, DED-related Employment Authorization Documents (EADs) provided to certain Hong Kong residents have not been extended.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) now provides a Verification of Release (VOR) card to some unaccompanied alien children. The VOR card is a new wallet-sized, plastic version of the VOR form, which will continue to be issued.
Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem decided on Feb. 1, 2025, to terminate the 2023 designation of Venezuela for Temporary Protected Status (TPS). TPS and related benefits associated with this designation will end on April 7, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. This termination decision does not apply to the 2021 designation of Venezuela for TPS, which remains in effect until Sept. 10, 2025, or to individuals who are registered for TPS under the 2021 designation.
The Department of Homeland Security extended Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Ukraine for 18 months, from April 20, 2025, through Oct. 19, 2026. Given the time frames for processing TPS re-registration applications, USCIS has automatically extended through April 19, 2026, the validity of Employment Authorization Documents (EADs) with a Card Expires date of April 19, 2025, or Oct. 19, 2023, issued under the prior TPS designation of Ukraine.
The Department of Homeland Security extended Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Sudan for 18 months, from April 20, 2025, through Oct. 19, 2026. Given the time frames for processing TPS re-registration applications, USCIS has automatically extended through April 19, 2026, the validity of Employment Authorization Documents (EADs) with a Card Expires date of April 19, 2025; June 30, 2024; Dec. 31, 2022; Oct. 4, 2021; Jan. 4, 2021; Jan. 2, 2020; April 2, 2019; Nov. 2, 2018; or Nov. 2, 2017, issued under a prior TPS designation of Sudan.
Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas extended Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for El Salvador for 18 months, from March 10, 2025, through Sept. 9, 2026. Given the time frames for processing TPS re-registration applications, USCIS has automatically extended through March 9, 2026, the validity of Employment Authorization Documents (EADs) with a “Card Expires” date of March 9, 2025; June 30, 2024; Dec. 31, 2022; Oct. 4, 2021; Jan. 4, 2021; Jan. 2, 2020; Sept. 9, 2019; or March 9, 2018, issued under the prior TPS designation of El Salvador.
On Jan. 15, 2025, President Biden issued a memorandum extending eligibility for Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) for certain Hong Kong residents. The president also directed the secretary of homeland security to provide certain Hong Kong residents continued work authorization through Feb. 5, 2027. For this reason, certain Hong Kong residents are employment authorized incident to DED. In addition, USCIS has automatically extended through Feb. 5, 2027, DED-related Employment Authorization Documents (EADs) with a Card Expires date of Feb. 5, 2023, or Feb. 5, 2025.Feb. 5, 2023, or Feb. 5, 2025.
On Dec. 13, 2024, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published a final rule to permanently increase the automatic extension period for certain expiring employment authorization and/or Form I-766, Employment Authorization Documents (EADs) to up to 540 days. This increase is available to certain renewal applicants who timely file Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization renewal applications. Previously, the EAD auto-extension period of 540 days was based on a temporary final rule published in April 2024.
This announcement provides information about multiple new classes of admission (COAs) for the surviving spouses and children of certain deceased employees of the United States Government (USG) abroad who are lawful permanent residents.These COAs were created in response to section 403(a) of the Emergency Security Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2021 (ESSAA 2021) which amends Section 101(a)(27)(D) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA).Initially, two COAs were created in 2022 and 2023:SS1 - Surviving spouse or child of deceased USG employee (Arrival); andGS1 - Certain surviving spouses or children of USG Significant Immigrant Visa employee under the Grateful Act (an individual with a GV1 COA) (Arrival).Recently, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) created additional COAs to address the remaining relationships within this legislation:
RSS Feed