The Department of Homeland Security announced the redesignation of Yemen for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and its extension from March 4, 2023, through Sept. 3, 2024.
Individuals who have not previously held Yemeni TPS will have to show that they have continuously resided in the United States since Dec. 29, 2022, to be eligible to submit an initial TPS application.
The extension and redesignation are due to the “ongoing violent conflict and the stream of challenges that flow from the roughly eight years of civil war in Yemen ….”
The extension will affect approximately 1,700 current Yemeni beneficiaries and it is estimated that approximately 1,200 individuals will be eligible for the redesignation.
Re-registrations and Employment Authorization Document (EAD) extensions should be filed during the 60-day registration period running from Jan. 3, 2023, through March 4, 2023. Individuals whose current EADs expire on March 3, 2023, or expired on Sept. 3, 2021, will be eligible for automatic extensions or work authorization through March 3, 2024, while they await their new EADs. Yemeni applicants may also apply for travel authorization, which will be granted at the DHS’s discretion. Work authorization for certain Yemeni students is also being extended.
All eligibility criteria, timelines, and procedures can be found in the Federal Register.
Please reach out to your Jackson Lewis attorney for questions about the Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification process for TPS beneficiaries.