There are certain decisions that have major implications for individuals from foreign countries who live here in the United States. Included among these are decisions by the federal government on whether or not to renew a given avenue for immigration benefits. Soon, some such decisions will be made touching on certain individuals who receive protections under the Temporary Protected Status program.
Under the TPS program, individuals from countries that are designated for the program can receive immigration benefits in the U.S. if they meet certain eligibility requirements. These benefits include protection from deportation. They also include eligibility to seek out an employment authorization document.
When a country is designated under the TPS program, periodic reviews are done on whether this designation will be renewed. The renewal decision impacts whether nationals of the country who are TPS recipients will continue to be eligible for TPS benefits.
Deadlines for the decisions on whether or not to renew are coming up for the TPS designations of:
- El Salvador.
- Haiti.
- Honduras.
- Nicaragua.
In light of the current political climate surrounding the issue of immigration in the U.S., there are currently a fair amount of questions swirling around about whether the administration will decide to renew these designations, or will instead let them expire.
The combined total of the TPS recipients from these four countries numbers in the hundreds of thousands. So, what decisions are made regarding whether the designations will be renewed could have major impacts on a good number of people. One wonders what decisions the current administration will end up making on this front.
When big policy decisions are coming up that could impact what immigration benefits are available to them, a foreign national living in the U.S. may have many worries and concerns. They may wish to discuss these with an immigration lawyer. Such attorneys can give such individuals guidance on what the different outcomes of the decision could be and what they can do to prepare for these different potential outcomes. Also, once the decision is made, such attorneys can give a person guidance on responding to the decision’s impacts on their life and goals.
Sources: Chicago Tribune, “300,000 immigrants from Haiti, Central America could lose protected status in U.S.,” Nick Miroff, Oct. 20, 2017
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, “Temporary Protected Status,” Accessed Oct. 23, 2017
