On January 29, 2021, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced the extension of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Syrian nationals for a period of 18 months until September 2022. This will affect approximately 8,500 Syrians living in the United States – 6,700 of whom are already in TPS and will be able to renew, as well as an additional 1,800 otherwise eligible individuals who entered the United States after August 1, 2016 and will be eligible to make an initial filing.

Acting DHS Secretary David Pekoske decided to extend TPS for Syria because “[t]he Syrian civil war continues to demonstrate deliberate targeting of civilians, the use of chemical weapons and irregular warfare tactics, and the use of child soldiers. The war has also caused sustained need for humanitarian assistance, an increase in refugees and displaced people, food insecurity, limited access to water and medical care, and large-scale destruction of Syrian’s infrastructure.” These are all circumstances that prevent Syrian nationals from returning to their home country safely.

Instructions on how to register, re-register and obtain employment authorization will be posted in the Federal Register and on the USCIS TPS website. Eligible individuals should not submit any forms or payments until those instructions are posted.

On or before July 31, 2022, the DHS Secretary will decide whether to extend Syrian TPS beyond September 2022.

Print:
Email this postTweet this postLike this postShare this post on LinkedIn
Photo of Forrest G. Read IV Forrest G. Read IV

Forrest Read is a Principal in the Raleigh, North Carolina, office of Jackson Lewis P.C. He has extensive experience in both business immigration law and employment law and has particular focus in legal issues in graduate medical education (GME).

Mr. Read’s immigration practice…

Forrest Read is a Principal in the Raleigh, North Carolina, office of Jackson Lewis P.C. He has extensive experience in both business immigration law and employment law and has particular focus in legal issues in graduate medical education (GME).

Mr. Read’s immigration practice focuses on assisting employers in obtaining employment-based nonimmigrant visas (e.g., H-1B, L, O, TN) for foreign national employees and work-related immigrant (green card) visas, including PERM Labor Certifications, and advising employers on compliance with U.S. immigration laws and regulations. He has broad experience in advising large, mid-size and small employers on their various immigration needs and developing strategies to help them navigate through complex immigration issues. He also has particular experience in counseling employers in the health care industry and addressing immigration-related issues that arise for their broad range of health care professional employees (including advising on and obtaining employment authorization for medical residents and fellows and obtaining J-1 visa waivers for foreign national physicians completing their medical training in the United States). His immigration practice also includes defending employers in connection with Department of Labor H-1B and H-2B investigations.

Mr. Read’s employment law experience includes representing management, particularly academic medical centers in the GME context, in a wide array of workplace disputes and litigation before federal and state courts and administrative agencies, including matters related to discrimination, retaliation, harassment, disability, family and medical leave, various wage and hour issues, contracts, and intentional torts. He advises academic medical centers on the interplay between applicable academic law and employment law and the ramifications of what are divergent legal requirements and standards. Mr. Read also provides counsel with respect to the legal impact of competency standards for residents and trainees in GME, including situations involving discipline, remediation, and dismissal. He provides advice and guidance in the peer review process, including provision of verification and assessment of training in response to third party inquiries.

As a member of the Firm’s Corporate Diversity Counseling group, Mr. Read also has experience in providing assessments and making recommendations to corporate and institutional clients with respect to diversity and inclusion policies and initiatives, conducting related internal investigations, and shaping, developing and enforcing effective policies and initiatives to ensure consistency with client values and in furtherance of business goals and objectives.

Read more about Forrest G. Read IV
Show more Show less
Related Posts
U.S. Embassy in Havana Restores Visa Services for 7 Work, Exchange Visas
September 10, 2024
Illinois Enacts Additional Employee Protections on Employers’ E-Verify Use
September 4, 2024
DOL: Indefinite Delay in FLAG System Update for New H-2A Farmworker Visa Rule
September 3, 2024