Deferred Enforced Departure Extended for Eligible Liberians in U.S.

From USCIS: U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced it will automatically extend Employment Authorization Documents (EADs) for Liberian nationals covered under Deferred Enforced Departure (DED). Current DED Liberia EADs that have an expiration date of Sept. 30, 2014, will now be valid through March 30, 2015.

This automatic extension of EADs follows President Obama’s announcement today of his decision to extend DED through September 30, 2016, for qualified Liberians and those individuals without nationality who last habitually resided in Liberia.

The six-month automatic extension of existing EADs allows eligible Liberian nationals to continue working in the United States while they file their applications. The extension also gives USCIS time to process and issue the new EADs.

Deferred Enforced Departure for Liberian nationals was scheduled to end on Sept. 30, 2014. However, President Obama determined that there are compelling foreign policy reasons to extend DED for eligible Liberian nationals currently living in the United States under the existing grant of DED.

Certain individuals are ineligible for DED, including:

• Individuals who did not have Temporary Protected Status on Sept. 30, 2007, and are therefore not covered under current DED;
• certain criminals;
• people subject to the mandatory bars to Temporary Protected Status; and
• those whose removal is in the interest of the United States.

USCIS will publish a notice in the Federal Register with information regarding the extension of EADs for eligible Liberian nationals, and instructions on how they may obtain employment authorization for the remainder of the DED extension.

For additional information, please visit the DED Granted Country - Liberia Web page on the USCIS website. Liberian nationals or their employers may also contact the USCIS National Customer Service Center at 1-800-375-5283