Temporary Protected Status Designated Country: Honduras
ALERT: The termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Honduras and Nepal will not take effect until further notice. As required by the court order adopting the parties’ stipulation to stay proceedings in Bhattarai v. Nielsen, No. 19-cv-731 (N.D. Cal), USCIS will extend appropriate TPS-related documentation (Employment Authorization Documents; Forms I-797, Notice of Action; and Forms I-94, Arrival/Departure Record) for eligible beneficiaries of TPS Honduras and TPS Nepal, as it has done for the TPS beneficiaries in Ramos v. Nielsen, No. 18-cv-01554 (N.D. Cal), a case that challenges the terminations of TPS for Sudan, Nicaragua, Haiti and El Salvador. The terminations of TPS for Nepal and Honduras will not go into effect while appeals are pending in Ramos, a case that presents similar issues to those presented in Bhattarai.
Although a panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit vacated the injunction in Ramos on Sept. 14, 2020, the appellate court has not issued its directive to the district court to make that ruling effective, and the injunction remains in place at this time. The terminations of TPS for Honduras and Nepal will not take effect while the Ramos injunction is in place, as it presents similar issues to those presented in Bhattarai.
For additional information, please see the Update on Bhattarai v. Nielsen webpage, the Update on Ramos v. Nielsen webpage, and the Dec. 9, 2020, Federal Register notice.
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TPS Continues Through: |
As long as the preliminary injunction ordered by the court in Ramos, et al v. Nielsen, et al., No. 18-cv-01554 (N.D. Cal. Oct. 3, 2018) remains in effect, or by other order of the court. TPS for current beneficiaries under the designation for Honduras will continue, provided that they properly re-registered for TPS during at least one of the following registration periods for their country. If you have not re-registered during at least one of the following registration periods, you should file now and explain your reasons for filing late. |
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Re-registration period for People Who Already Have TPS: |
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| Employment Authorization Document (EAD) Auto-Extended Through: | Oct. 4, 2021 |
| Continuous Residence in U.S. Since: | Dec. 30, 1998 |
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Continuous Physical Presence in U.S. Since: |
Jan. 5, 1999 |
| TPS Designation Date: | Jan. 5, 1999 |
| Federal Register Notice Citation: |
When to File for TPS
If you did not re-register during one of the following previous required re-registration periods: from May 16 through July 15, 2016; Dec. 15, 2017, through Feb. 3, 2018; or June 5 through Aug. 6, 2018, you may submit a late re-registration application, including a letter that explains your reason(s) for filing late. We will determine whether your reasons demonstrate “good cause” for being late, as required under the TPS law.
| If you: | Then, mail your application to: |
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| Are a beneficiary under the TPS designation for Honduras |
U.S. Postal Service: U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services FedEx, UPS, or DHL: U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services |
Automatic Employment Authorization Document (EAD) Extension
We are automatically extending through Oct. 4, 2021, the validity of EADs with the category codes “A-12” or “C-19” and one of the expiration dates shown below that we issued under the TPS Honduras designation to beneficiaries who continue to maintain TPS eligibility:
- 01/05/2018
- 07/05/2018
- 01/05/2020
- 01/04/2021
TPS Honduras beneficiaries who applied for a new EAD but have not yet received it are also covered by this automatic extension, as long as the EAD that you have contains one of the expiration dates noted in the chart above. When you present your automatically extended EAD to your employer, refer them to this Federal Register Notice (PDF) that shows that we have extended your EAD and employment authorization through Oct. 4, 2021.
Additionally, we are automatically extending through Oct. 4, 2021, the validity periods of the following Forms I-94, Arrival/Departure Records, and Forms I-797, Notice of Action (Approval Notice), previously issued to eligible beneficiaries under the TPS designation for Honduras:
| Beginning Date of Validity¹: | End Date of Validity: | Now Valid Until: |
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| July 6, 2016 | Jan. 5, 2018 | Oct. 4, 2021 |
| Jan. 6, 2018 | July 5, 2018 | Oct. 4, 2021 |
| July 6, 2018 | Jan. 5, 2020 | Oct. 4, 2021 |
The extension of the validity periods above applies only if you properly filed for TPS re-registration during at least one of the three most recent DHS-announced registration periods for Honduras: from May 16 through July 15, 2016; Dec. 15, 2017, through Feb. 3, 2018; or June 5 through Aug. 6, 2018, or has a re-registration application that remains pending. In addition, the extension does not apply if your TPS has been finally withdrawn or denied.
Current beneficiaries under the TPS designation for Honduras do not need to pay a fee or file any application, including Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization, to maintain your TPS benefits through Oct. 4, 2021, if you properly re-registered for TPS during one of the DHS-announced registration periods listed above.
If you failed to re-register properly for TPS during at least one of the DHS-announced registration periods in 2016, 2017, or 2018 listed above, you should file Form I–821 (Application for Temporary Protected Status), and demonstrate “good cause” for failing to re-register on time, as required by law. For more information, see
- INA, section 244(c)(3)(C) (TPS beneficiary’s failure to register without good cause in form and manner specified by DHS is grounds for TPS withdrawal);
- 8 CFR 244.17(b); and
- Instructions to Form I–821.
If you are filing a late re-registration application, you must provide a letter explaining all of your reasons for filing outside of the re-registration period. If you are filing after the re-registration period because of the DHS announcement of the termination of TPS for your country, please explain how that announcement affected you, including how the termination decisions impacted your failure to re-register. However, if the announcement of the TPS termination did not cause you to file late, you should not include it as a reason. Please remember to be truthful in explaining your reasons.
Any eligible beneficiary under the TPS designation for Honduras who either does not possess an EAD that is automatically extended, or who wishes to apply for a new EAD, may file Form I–765 with appropriate fee (or fee waiver request). If approved, we will issue an EAD with an Oct. 4, 2021, expiration date. Similarly, we will issue an EAD with an Oct. 4, 2021, expiration date for those with pending EAD applications that are ultimately approved.
Other Immigration Options
You might be eligible for other immigration options listed on the Explore My Options page.
To apply for a lawful permanent status (Green Card), you must be eligible under one of the categories listed on the Green Card Eligibility Categories page. Once you find the category that may fit your situation, click on the link provided to get information on eligibility requirements, how to apply, and whether your family members can also apply with you.
Note on Seeking Asylum: Being granted and maintaining TPS until a reasonable period before the filing of the asylum application is considered an extraordinary circumstance for the purposes of the one year filing deadline. In other words, having TPS “stops the clock” on the requirement to file for asylum within one year of arriving in the United States, if the one-year clock has not already expired. See 8 CFR 208.4(a)(5)(iv).
Avoid Scams
Please be aware that some unauthorized practitioners may try to take advantage of you by claiming they can file TPS forms. These same individuals may ask that you pay them to file such forms. We want to ensure that all potential TPS applicants know how to obtain legitimate, accurate legal advice and assistance. A list of accredited representatives and free or low-cost legal providers is available on the USCIS website on the finding legal advice web page.
We do not want you to become a victim of an immigration scam. If you need legal advice on immigration matters, make sure the person helping you is authorized to give legal advice. Only an attorney or an accredited representative working for a Department of Justice (DOJ) recognized organization can give you legal advice. Visit the Avoid Scams page for information and resources.
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¹ Your Forms I-94 and I-797 may show a different beginning date of validity than those listed here if you were a late initial filer (LIF) at the time because the forms would have the date of approval of your LIF application for TPS. As long as they bear an end date of validity listed in this chart, then they are automatically extended by this Notice.