Temporary Protected Status for El Salvador, Honduras, Nepal, and Nicaragua Preserved

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has rescinded the prior Administration’s termination of Temporary Protected Status (“TPS") for nationals of El Salvador, Honduras, Nepal, and Nicaragua effective June 9, 2023.  DHS also has decided to extend TPS for these four countries for an additional 18 months after considering the ongoing conditions in these countries.  

Individuals from these four countries who currently benefit from TPS will need to re-register to extend their status for the additional 18 months during the designated re-registration period.   A table summarizing the 60-day re-registration periods and 18-month extension periods for each of the four countries is below.

The extension of TPS for nationals of El Salvador, Honduras, Nepal, and Nicaragua only applies to current beneficiaries.  Nationals of these countries who arrived in the US after their country was designated for TPS are not eligible. 

In order to qualify for TPS, the national must meet the following continuous physical presence and residence requirements:

As a reminder, existing TPS beneficiaries who wish to extend their status must re-register during the 60-day re-registration period for their country’s designation. Eligible individuals can apply online here.  DHS anticipates that roughly 330,000 individuals will be eligible for an extension of TPS.  

By way of background, the US government grants TPS to nationals of a country if the following temporary conditions exist in their home country: 1) ongoing armed conflict (such as civil war); 2) an environmental disaster (such as an earthquake or hurricane) or epidemic; or 3) other extraordinary and temporary conditions. Beneficiaries of TPS are not automatically granted work and travel permission, but can apply for these separately with Form I-765 and Form I-131. More information on country-specific TPS designations is available here.

This alert is for informational purposes only.  Please contact us if you would like to discuss this development further.