18-Month Extension of Temporary Protected Status for Nationals of Nicaragua

WASHINGTON—U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced today that it will extend Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to nationals of Nicaragua through July 5, 2010. The extension will make those who have already been granted TPS eligible to reregister and maintain their status for an additional 18 months. There are approximately 3,500 nationals of Nicaragua (and people having no nationality who last habitually resided in Nicaragua) who are eligible for reregistration. TPS does not apply to Nicaraguan nationals who entered the United States after Dec. 30, 1998.

The extension of TPS for Nicaragua is effective Jan. 6, 2009 and will remain in effect through July 5, 2010. Nicaraguan nationals (and people having no nationality who last habitually resided in Nicaragua) who have been granted TPS must reregister for the 18-month extension during the 60-day reregistration period beginning on the date the notice is published in the Federal Register. Nicaraguan TPS beneficiaries are strongly encouraged to apply as soon as possible following the start of the 60-day reregistration period. Applications from Nicaraguan TPS beneficiaries will not be accepted prior to the opening of the reregistration period.

TPS beneficiaries must submit the Application for Temporary Protected Status Form I-821without the application fee and the Application for Employment Authorization Form I-76 in order to reregister for TPS. All applicants seeking an extension of employment authorization through July 5, 2010 must submit the required application filing fee with Form I-765. If the applicant is only seeking to reregister for TPS and is not seeking an extension of employment authorization, he or she must submit Form I-765 for data-gathering purposes only, and is not required to submit the I-765 filing fee. The biometric service fee must be submitted by all reregistrants 14 years of age and older. Applicants may request a fee waiver for any of the application or biometric service fees in accordance with the regulations. Failure to submit the required filing fees or a properly documented fee waiver request will result in the rejection of the reregistration application.

Further details on this extension of TPS for Nicaragua, including the application requirements and procedures, will appear in a Federal Register notice shortly. More information can also be obtained from the USCIS National Customer Service Center toll-free number: 1-800-375-5283. TPS forms are available from the toll-free USCIS Forms line, 1-800-870-3676, or from the USCIS Web site, www.uscis.gov.

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