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As previously reported, the rulemaking extending TPS for Syria has concluded:

AGENCY: DHS-USCIS RIN: 1615-ZB72 Status: Concluded
TITLE: Extension of the Designation of Syria for Temporary Protected Status
STAGE: Notice ECONOMICALLY SIGNIFICANT: No
RECEIVED DATE: 09/19/2019 LEGAL DEADLINE: None
** COMPLETED: 09/20/2019 COMPLETED ACTION: Consistent with Change

DATES: Extension of Designation of Syria for TPS: The 18-month extension of the TPS designation of Syria is effective Oct. 1, 2019, and will remain in effect through March 31, 2021. The 60-day re-registration period runs from Sept. 23, 2019, through Nov. 22, 2019. (Note: It is important for re-registrants to timely re-register during this 60-day period and not to wait until their EADs expire.) https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2019/09/23/2019-20457/extension-of-the-designation-of-syria-for-temporary-protected-status

For more information on Syria or other TPS matters, please contact your GT attorney or click here. This blog will be updated as information becomes available, so please check back regularly.

The Department of Homeland Security has announced an extension of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) through March 31, 2021, for approximately 7,000 Syrian nationals legally in the United States.

For more information on Syria or other TPS matters, please contact your GT attorney or click here. This blog will be updated as information becomes available, so please check back regularly.

GT Immigration Shareholder Kate Kalmykov will participate in a webinar hosted by the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) Rome District – Europe, Middle East & Africa (EMEA) Chapter Dec. 14, 2023, at 1:00 Eastern (GMT -5).

The program “Consular Confusion in a Complicated Time” will provide information to help colleagues manage IV/NIV cases and other consular matters in areas of the EMEA world impacted by conflict, including in Russia/Ukraine, Lebanon/Syria, Israel/West Bank/Gaza, and Iran and the Horn of Africa. The program will offer updates on the availability/unavailability of consular services and viable alternatives for individuals in areas with limited or no consular services.

Click here to register.

On May 8, 2023, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law Senate Bill (SB) 264 relating to interests of foreign countries. The new law, effective July 1, 2023, generally restricts the issuance of state-level government contracts or economic development incentives to, or real property ownership by certain individuals and entities associated with foreign “countries of concern.” According to the law, the foreign countries of concern include the People’s Republic of China, the Russian Federation, the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, the Republic of Cuba, the Venezuelan regime of Nicolás Maduro, and the Syrian Arab Republic. 

Continue reading the full GT Alert.

On Jan. 31, 2020, President Trump issued a Proclamation, effective Feb. 21, 2020, imposing even more limitations on visa issuance and travel to the United States for additional countries entitled “Proclamation on Improving Enhanced Vetting Capabilities and Processes for Detecting Attempted Entry.” This Proclamation follows his first travel ban from March 2017 where the Secretary of Homeland Security was ordered to develop an assessment model to assess national security and public safety threats in identifying whether countries would be removed or added to the list. From the March 2017 travel ban, 200 countries were reviewed and assessed, and in September 2017, President Trump issued a revised version of the travel ban.

Since then, DHS has continued to review and assess security concerns from each country, utilizing updated methodologies, which includes a foreign government’s willingness and frequency in sharing information, and working with the intelligence community to assess risk of terrorist travel.  A review of each country’s performance per the criteria established in 2017 was also conducted, and as a result, it has been recommended to President Trump that he exercise his authority to suspend entry into the United States for an additional six countries as follow: Burma (Myanmar), Eritrea, Kyrgyzstan, Nigeria, Sudan, and Tanzania.

Continue Reading President Trump Issues New Proclamation on Travel Ban, Adding Six Additional Countries

On April 26, 2018, Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen M. Nielsen announced, after reviewing country conditions and consulting with various U.S. government agencies, that the grounds for Nepal’s TPS designation on the basis of an environmental disaster are no longer met and as such, termination of the designation is required by statute. As a result, Nepal’s TPS designation will end on June 24, 2019.

Continue Reading USCIS Announces Termination of TPS for Nepal; Continues Trend with Other TPS Nations

On Dec. 4, 2017, the Supreme Court issued an order allowing President Trump’s Proclamation on Travel Ban to go fully into effect. With certain exceptions, this ban places entry restriction on nationals of eight countries – Chad, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Syria, Venezuela, and Yemen. As previously reported, in September a U.S. District Judge in Hawaii blocked the Proclamation from taking effect, except for nationals of North Korea and Venezuela. On Nov. 13, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals temporarily put part of the lower court’s ruling on hold, allowing the Proclamation to take effect, but only for those individuals from the impacted countries who do not have bona fide ties to the United States.

Continue Reading Supreme Court Issues Order Allowing Full Implementation of Proclamation

On Sept. 24, 2017, President Trump issued a Proclamation with visa and travel restrictions. It imposed new limitations on nonimmigrant and immigrant visa issuance and travel to the United States for citizens/nationals of Chad, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Syria, Venezuela, Yemen, and Somalia. The Proclamation came after two Executive Orders imposing travel bans were issued earlier this year but were delayed in implementation by the federal courts.

Continue Reading Ninth Circuit Allows Partial Implementation of President Trump’s Proclamation on Travel Ban

On Tuesday, Oct. 10, the U.S. Supreme Court dismissed an appeal in Trump v. International Refugee Assistance Project (16-1436), one of the cases challenging a provision in a now-expired version of President Trump’s travel ban (Executive Order No. 13780).

Continue Reading U.S. Supreme Court Dismisses Travel Ban Case

On Sept. 24, 2017, President Trump issued a Proclamation imposing new limitations on visa issuance and travel to the United States for nationals of eight countries entitled “Presidential Proclamation Enhancing Vetting Capabilities and Processes for Detecting Attempted Entry Into the United States by Terrorists or Other Public-Safety Threats.”  These countries include: Chad, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Syria, Venezuela, Yemen, and Somalia. This Proclamation was issued after the Attorney General and the Secretaries of the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of State collected information from more than 200 countries to determine whether there were threats or security concerns in a comprehensive report submitted to the president on July 9, 2017.  Out of the 200 countries evaluated and studied in the reports, a small number were determined to be deficient with regard to identity management and information sharing capabilities, protocols, and practices, as well as having a terrorist presence within the countries. The reports evaluated: 1) identity management information, including integrity documents such as passports; 2) national security and public safety information on criminal history; and 3) national security and public safety risk assessment focused on terrorist activity within the country.

Continue Reading.