TPS for Syria extended and redesignated

The US Department of Homeland Security has extended and redesignated its Temporary Protected Status designation for Syria. This announcement means that those Syrians who did not meet the presence requirements at the time Syria was first designated for TPS may now qualify. Those with TPS can extend that status.

The new TPS period will run from March 31, 2021 through September 30, 2022. The redesignation of Syria allows additional individuals who have been continuously residing in the United States since March 19, 2021 to obtain TPS, if otherwise eligible.

As with many TPS extensions, many beneficiaries will not have enough time to receive new work permits by the expiration date. Accordingly, DHS is automatically extending those work permits as stated in the Federal Register notice:

Given the timeframes involved with processing TPS re-registration applications, DHS recognizes that not all re-registrants may receive new EADs before their current EADs expire on March 31, 2021. Accordingly, through this Federal Register notice, DHS automatically extends the validity of EADs previously issued under the TPS designation of Syria for 180 days, through September 27, 2021. Therefore, TPS beneficiaries can show their EADs with: (1) A March 31, 2021 expiration date and (2) an A-12 or C-19 category code as proof of continued employment authorization through September 27, 2021. This notice explains how TPS beneficiaries and their employers may determine which EADs are automatically extended and how this affects the Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification, E-Verify, and USCIS Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) processes.

https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2021-05715