US Provides Temporary Protected Status Designation for Yemen

Photo: Checkpoint for Houthi rebels in Yemeni capital (YOL)

In light of ongoing armed conflicts, last week DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson announced the administration’s decision to designate Yemen for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for 18 months. Accordingly, Yemeni nationals residing in the U.S. may apply for TPS with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

This designation will be in effect until March 3, 2017, with a 180-day TPS registration period beginning September 3 and running through March 1, 2016. Notice has been published in the Federal Register.

Administered by the Secretary, TPS allows certain foreign nationals (or stateless persons habitually residing in countries) a temporary safe haven in the U.S.  Generally, a person is granted such status for 6-18 months and will not be deported. Although in and of itself considered in many respects to be short of lawful immigrant status, a grant of TPS allows for employment authorization and may, in some cases, provide routes to permanent residence. TPS is presently in effect for nationals of El Salvador, Guinea, Haiti, Honduras, Liberia, Nepal, Nicaragua, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan, Syria, and Yemen.