Business Immigration Insights

DHS announced that it is extending Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for nationals of Honduras who already hold TPS. TPS allows qualifying individuals to remain and work lawfully in the United States until conditions in their home countries improve.  The new extension allows qualifying individuals from Honduras to re-register for TPS by  February 3, 2018.  Employment authorization documents held by qualifying individuals who timely re-register are automatically extended through July 5, 2018 (the USCIS web page indicates July 4, but the Federal Register notices indicates July 5). Employers can rely on the Federal Register notice for I-9 employment verification and re-verification purposes, which can be found here.

TPS typically is extended in 18-month increments, but the Secretary has the discretion to extend TPS for shorter periods.  Because the Secretary did not make a determination on Honduras' designation by the statutory deadline (November 6, 2017), the extension was automatically extended for 6 months.  While DHS can still extend TPS further for Hondurans, it seems unlikely since DHS is ending TPS for other countries.  If TPS for Hondurans is not extended further, those unable to acquire another legal status will need to prepare to depart the United States by July 5, 2018.