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On Friday, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Honduran nations will be extended by six months, to July 5, 2018, while the administration decides whether to continue TPS designation for Honduras. The DHS also announced that it would not renew TPS designation for Nicaragua and that TPS status for Nicaraguans would expire on January 5, 2019. Currently, nationals of Honduras and Nicaragua in TPS have work authorization to January 5, 2018, but with the announcements, both groups receive automatic extensions of their Employment Authorization Documents (EAD).
Honduras. Qualifying workers’ EADs are automatically extended through July 4, 2018. Hondurans must re-register for TPS status between December 15, 2017 and February 13, 2018. They are not required to apply for a new EAD.
Nicaragua. Nicaraguan nationals must also re-register for TPS status between December 15 and February 13. They must apply for a new EAD. Their EADs are automatically extended for 60 days – until March 6, 2018. If nationals of Nicaragua apply for a new EAD before February 13, they receive an automatic extension of work authorization for up to 180 days (until July 4, 2018). They will eventually receive new EADs valid to January 5, 2019, which will mark the end of TPS for Nicaraguans.
The automatic extensions apply to nationals of Nicaragua and Honduras who have EADs expiring on January 5, 2018, and which have the designation of A-12 or C-19 under Category on the EAD. The DHS provides detailed instructions how to update the Form I-9 for current employees and how to complete the Form I-9 for newly hired employees from Nicaragua or Honduras who qualify for the automatic extension. We are also happy to walk you through updating or completing Form I-9 for these workers.
