TPS Re-Registration for El Salvador
Posted Sep 20, 2002

Recent articles in the MurthyBulletin have announced extensions of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) programs for Sudan, Burundi, and Somalia. Available on MurthyDotCom, these articles are, Somalia TPS Extended and TPS Extended for Sudan and Burundi. INS has recently also announced an extension of the program for nationals of El Salvador. The timeframe for re-registration for nationals of Salvador runs from September 9, 2002 through November 12, 2002.

As explained in previous articles, TPS grants persons from designated countries the ability to remain in the U.S. and also to obtain authorization to work. The purpose of TPS is to provide safe haven in cases of natural disaster, civil war, and similar crisis situations. Often these designations need to be extended, such as in the case of a lengthy war, or because the lingering economic effects of a natural disaster leave the country dependent on remittances from overseas and unable to absorb their returning nationals. The initial designation is for one year and extensions are also in one-year increments.

In order to be eligible under the re-designation of El Salvador, a person must be a national of El Salvador, or an individual of no nationality who last habitually resided there. They must have continuously resided in the U.S. since February 13, 2001, and have been continuously physically present since March 9, 2001. For persons seeking to reregister, eligibility is limited to individuals who previously registered and continued to reregister for each subsequent registration. However, those who have not registered may be eligible under late initial registration provisions. There are a number of restrictions on the late applicants.

As a temporary measure, INS has also provided for an automatic, six-month extension of Employment Authorization Documents (EADs or "work permits") for Salvadoran TPS beneficiaries in case the EAD extensions cannot be adjudicated on a timely basis. In order that employers not terminate such employees based on EAD expiration, INS also issued a fact sheet for employers, available on the INS WebSite.

Instructions on requirements and procedures for re-registration are also available on the INS WebSite in English and in Spanish.

Other countries currently designated under TPS programs are Angola, Burundi, Honduras, Montserrat, Nicaragua, Sierra Leone, and Somalia. Those individuals under the TPS program must be careful to meet all applicable registration deadlines. More information regarding specific TPS programs is available on the INS WebSite. Earlier articles regarding TPS on MurthyDotCom include our July 12, 2002 article, Salvadoran TPS Extended and our article from March 18, 2001, TPS Program for Salvadoran Nationals (March 2001).