USCIS Designates Temporary Protected Status for Nepal

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June 24, 2015

In response to the series of earthquakes that hit Nepal in April, DHS has announced that Temporary Protected Status (TPS) will be extended to “eligible nationals of Nepal and people without nationality who last habitually resided in Nepal.” Applicants must be continuously present and residing in the U.S. as of today, and will be subject to “thorough security checks.”

Those granted TPS designation “will not be removed from the United States and may receive an Employment Authorization Document” – essentially temporary deportation relief plus temporary work authorization.

As of now, the TPS designation for Nepal is effective from June 24, 2015 until December 24, 2016. Occasionally DHS has extended TPS beyond the initially-indicated window, but there is of course no guarantee of that happening.

The registration period is open until December 21, 2015. Information from USCIS regarding fee waivers is below:

Applicants may request that USCIS waive any or all TPS-related fees based on inability to pay by filing Form I-912, Request for Fee Waiver, or by submitting a written request. Fee-waiver requests must be accompanied by supporting documentation. USCIS will reject any TPS application that does not include the required filing fee or a properly documented fee-waiver request.