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Temporary Protected Status Designated Country: South Sudan
TPS Extended Through: | November 2, 2017 |
|---|---|
Re-registration Period for People Who Already Have TPS: | January 25, 2016 - March 25, 2016 |
Registration Period for People Who are Applying for TPS for the First Time: | January 25, 2016 - July 25, 2016 |
Employment Authorization Document (EAD) Auto-Extended Through: | November 2, 2016 |
Continuous Residence Date in U.S. Since: | January 25, 2016 |
Continuous Physical Presence in U.S. Since: | May 3, 2016 |
TPS Designation Date: | November 3, 2011 |
TPS Redesignation Date: | September 2, 2014 and January 25, 2016 |
Federal Register Notice Citation: |
On January 25, 2016 , U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced the redesignation of South Sudan for TPS and that eligible South Sudanese nationals (and persons without nationality who last habitually resided in South Sudan) in the United States may apply for TPS.
When to File for TPS
If you currently have TPS for South Sudan and would like to keep your TPS status, you must re-register during the 60-day re-registration period that runs from January 25, 2016 through March 25, 2016. We encourage you to register as soon as possible after the 60-day re-registration period opens.
If you do not currently have TPS for South Sudan, you may file an initial application to register for TPS for South Sudan under the recent redesignation. In order to register for TPS status, you must file your TPS package during the 180-day registration period that runs from January 25, 2016 through July 25, 2016. We encourage you to register as soon as possible within the 180-day initial registration period. Please go to the TPS Web page for information about what you need to file to re-register for TPS.
If you have never been granted TPS, you may be eligible to file a late initial application. Go to the “Filing Late” section on the TPS Web page for more information.
Special Filing Instructions
TPS Sudan Beneficiaries Who Are Now Applying for TPS Under South Sudan
If you are a current Sudan TPS beneficiary, but are now filing under South Sudan TPS because you are now a national of South Sudan, you:
- Do not need to pay the TPS application fee (Form I-821)
- Do need to pay the $85 biometrics services fee if you are age 14 or older
- Must pay the $380 EAD fee, if you want an EAD
Additional information if you have a an initial pending Sudan TPS Application
If you… | And you… | Then USCIS will … |
|---|---|---|
Still have an initial pending TPS application under the Sudan TPS designation and you paid the $50 Form I-821 fee and the biometrics services fee (if age 14 or older) | Are now filing a new application as a national of South Sudan | Apply the fees your have already paid for the Sudan TPS application to your new South Sudan application. |
applied for Sudan TPS and have been granted a waiver for those fees, or your fee-waiver request is pending | Are now filing a new application as a national of South Sudan | Not require you to reapply for a fee waiver. USCIS will apply the fee waiver to your South Sudan TPS application |
Special Employment Authorization Document (EAD) Instructions
If you requested an EAD with your prior TPS Sudan application and you have received that EAD, you need to pay the $380 EAD fee if you want a new EAD under the South Sudan designation.
If you have a pending Form I-765 requesting an EAD under Sudan TPS and you are now registering under South Sudan TPS, you do not have to pay the $380 EAD fee again, provided that USCIS has not sent you the EAD yet. You must submit:
- the Form I-765 with the Form I-821, but do not check any of the boxes at the top of the Form I-765; and
- a letter explaining that you have a pending Form I-765 under Sudan TPS.
USCIS will then automatically put the pending Form I-765 with the Form I-821 you submit for South Sudan TPS together.
Where to File
If you are filing for re-registration or filing an initial application, please follow instructions below. E-filing is not currently available for TPS for Sudan. You must send your TPS package by mail or courier to the appropriate address in the table below:
If you… | Then, mail your application to… |
|---|---|
Are applying though the US. Postal Service. | U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services |
You are using a non-U.S. Postal Service delivery service. | U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services |
For more information on TPS eligibility requirements, what to file, and step by step instructions on submitting a re-registration or initial TPS application package go the TPS Web page.
Automatic Employment Authorization Document (EAD) Extension
USCIS has automatically extended the validity of employment authorization documents (EADs) issued under the last extension of TPS South Sudan for an additional 6 months, through November 2, 2016. If you are a TPS beneficiary under the South Sudan designation and your EAD is based on your TPS status with an original expiration date of May 2, 2016, your EAD is covered by this automatic extension and you may continue to work.
To continue working legally, you may show the following documentation to your employer and government agencies:
- Your TPS-related EAD bearing a May 2, 2016 expiration date
- A copy of the Federal Register notice
Your employer may rely on the Federal Register notice as evidence of the continuing validity of your EAD. Go to the “Documentation Employers May Accept and Temporary Protected Status Beneficiaries May Present as Evidence of Employment Eligibility” Factsheet for more information.
