TPS Terminations for Several Countries Effective May 21, 2017

Designations for temporary protected status (TPS) for nationals of Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone will be terminated on May 21, 2017. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is also recommending that the TPS designation for Haitian citizens be terminated in January of 2018.

Background on TPS

TPS allows nationals of designated countries who are in the United States to remain in the country for a specified period of time, due to conditions in their respective home countries that would prevent a safe return. The types of conditions that can give rise to a TPS designation include: armed conflicts, environmental disasters, epidemics, earthquakes, and other extraordinary, temporary conditions. Individuals who are granted TPS are protected against removal (deportation) from the U.S., and are eligible to apply for work and travel authorization. The TPS period is temporary, and does not lead to a permanent immigration status.

TPS Designations for Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Haiti

An outbreak of the Ebola virus in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone in 2014 led to TPS designation for nationals of those countries who met certain criteria. Meanwhile, qualifying Haitian nationals were made eligible for TPS in 2010 due to multiple natural disasters. More details on these TPS designations are available in the MurthyDotCom NewsBriefs, TPS Designations for Liberia, Guinea, and Sierra Leone (02.Dec.2014) and TPS Granted to Haitians in the United States (19.Jan.2010).

Conclusion

After reviewing country conditions and consulting with the appropriate U.S. government agencies, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) may use its discretion to determine that conditions in TPS designated countries no longer support such a designation. Nationals of Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone who are on TPS and who do not have some other means of lawfully remaining in the United States should make arrangements to depart the country by May 21, 2017. Haitians in the U.S. pursuant to TPS, on the other hand, have not yet lost this designation. However, it seems likely that the DHS will follow the USCIS recommendation to terminate this designation in the coming months.

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