This article was prepared with the assistance of ABIL, the Alliance of Business Immigration Lawyers, of which Loan Huynh, Fredrikson Immigration Department Chair, is a member.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced the extension of temporary protected status (TPS) for Somalia for an additional 18 months from March 18, 2023, through September 17, 2024. DHS also redesignated Somalia for TPS, allowing Somali nationals residing in the United States as of January 11, 2023, to apply for TPS, so long as they meet all eligibility requirements. The extension and redesignation of Somalia for TPS are “due to ongoing armed conflict and extraordinary and temporary conditions that prevent Somali nationals from safely returning,” DHS said.
The extension of TPS for Somalia allows approximately 430 current beneficiaries to retain TPS through September 17, 2024, if they continue to meet TPS eligibility requirements, DHS said. The redesignation of Somalia for TPS allows an estimated 2,200 additional Somali nationals (or individuals having no nationality who last habitually resided in Somalia) who have been continuously residing in the United States since January 11, 2023, to file initial applications to obtain TPS if they are otherwise eligible.
DHS plans to publish a Federal Register notice shortly that will include additional details.
