DHS Ends TPS for Nepal

04/30/2018

On Thursday April 26, Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen M. Nielsen announced that the temporary protected status (TPS) designation for Nepal will terminate on June 24, 2019.

TPS is a program created through the Immigration Act of 1990 that provides relief to people from countries that have been deemed unsafe for various reasons, such as natural disasters and civil war. Individuals receiving TPS are not allowed to be deported, can obtain work authorization, and may receive travel authorization. In 2015, Nepal was added to the list of countries granted TPS due to the earthquake that devastated the country that year.

Secretary Nielsen based the decision to terminate TPS for Nepal on a review of the disruption of living conditions in Nepal resulting from the earthquake that served as the basis for the country's TPS designation. According to Secretary Nielsen, Nepal has recovered enough to adequately manage the return of Nepalese nationals in the United States in TPS.

Previously, DHS terminated TPS for El Salvador, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Sudan. DHS is expected to make an announcement next month on TPS for Honduras, which was previously extended through July 5, 2018.

If you have any questions, contact your Goel & Anderson attorney.