Temporary Protected Status Extended for Yemen Nationals

On July 5, 2018, the Department of Homeland Security announced that temporary protected status (TPS) for Yemen nationals will be extended to March 3, 2020. Yemen nationals will be required to re-register to extend their benefits, DHS has not yet released re-registration information or time. This means the 1250 or so Yemen nationals who came to the United States under TPS when President Obama designated the country for protection due to its horrifying civil war in 2015 can legally stay and work in the country for another 18 months. To be eligible for an extension of TPS under Yemen’s current designation, individuals must have continuously resided in the United States since January 4, 2017 and been continuously physically present in the United States since March 4, 2017, among other requirements.

In an acknowledgement that Yemen continues to be rattled by conflict, this decision comes after announcements to terminate TPS for Nepal, Haiti, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Sudan nationals, ending protected status for more than 425,000 people and leaving less than 80,000 people in the program. TPS is granted to certain groups of people in the wake of natural disasters, wars, outbreaks of disease, and other catastrophes that would make it difficult for them to return safely to their home countries. Government officials periodically review the program to decide whether to extend it, and most groups have received regular extensions in the past. To learn more about TPS, please click here.