Re-Registration Period Now Open for Nicaraguans with Temporary Protected Status

From USCIS News:

TPS Nicaragua Ending in January 2019

WASHINGTON— Current beneficiaries of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) under Nicaragua’s designation who want to maintain that status through the program’s termination date of Jan. 5, 2019, must re-register between Dec. 15, 2017 and Feb. 13, 2018. Re-registration procedures, including how to renew employment authorization documentation, have been published in the Federal Register and on the USCIS website.

All applicants must submit _blank' href="http://www.usics.gov/i-821">Form I-821, Application for Temporary Protected Status. Applicants may also request an Employment Authorization Document (EAD) by submitting a completed Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization, at the time of filing Form I-821, or separately at a later date. Both forms are free on USCIS’ website.

USCIS will issue new Employment Authorization Documents (EAD) with a Jan. 5, 2019 expiration date to eligible Nicaraguan TPS beneficiaries who timely re-register and apply for EADs.  Given the timeframes involved with processing TPS re-registration applications, however, DHS recognizes that not all re-registrants will receive new EADs before their current EADs expire on Jan. 5, 2018.  Accordingly, DHS has automatically extended the validity of EADs issued under the TPS designation of Nicaragua for 60 days, through March 6, 2018.  Additionally, Nicaraguan TPS beneficiaries who timely re-register and properly file applications for an EAD will have the validity of their current EADs automatically extended for up to 180 days from the date their current EADs expire, through July 4, 2018.

In November, former Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Elaine Duke determined that conditions in Nicaragua no longer support its designation for TPS. Duke made her decision to terminate Nicaragua’s TPS designation after reviewing country conditions and consulting with appropriate U.S. government agencies. However, Duke delayed the effective date of the termination by one year from the current expiration date of Jan. 5, 2018, to allow time for an orderly transition for those affected.  With the delayed effective date, Nicaragua’s TPS designation will end Jan. 5, 2019.  

Nicaraguans with TPS may wish to consult with qualified immigration attorneys or practitioners about their eligibility for another immigration status or benefit, or whether there is any other action they may want to take regarding their individual immigration circumstances.