Form I-9 Related News

Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas extended Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Venezuela through March 10, 2024. Current beneficiaries who want to maintain their status must re-register Sept. 8, 2022 through Nov. 7, 2022.  Given the time frames for processing TPS re-registration applications, USCIS has automatically extended the validity of certain Employment Authorization Documents (EADs) issued under the TPS designation for Venezuela through Sept. 9, 2023. Completing Form I-9 To complete or update Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification, for TPS Venezuela beneficiaries who present an EAD with a Category Code of A12 or C19 and a Card Expires date of Sept. 9, 2022, enter Sept. 9, 2023, as the new expiration date of the automatically extended EAD on Form I-9. You must reverify these employees before they start work on Sept. 10, 2023. Find more details about this extension on the TPS Designated Country: Venezuela page and instructions for completing Form I-9 on the I-9 Central TPS page.

On June 27, 2022, President Biden issued a memorandum directing the Secretary of Homeland Security to reinstate Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) for eligible Liberians and to provide for continued employment authorization through June 30, 2024.

DHS published Federal Register notice 87 FR 50786  on August 18 to invite public comments on a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM).

During Operation Allies Welcome, many Afghans who arrived as part of the evacuation efforts were paroled into the United States. Many applied for and received Form I-766, Employment Authorization Documents (EADs). Certain EADs with a validity period of less than 2 years are now being automatically extended to align with the parole period shown on the beneficiary's Form I-94, Arrival/Departure Record. 

Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas extended and redesignated Syria for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) through March 31, 2024.  Current beneficiaries who want to maintain their status must re-register Aug. 1, 2022, through Sept. 30, 2022. Syrian nationals and individuals having no nationality who last habitually resided in Syria may submit an initial registration application under the redesignation of Syria for TPS and apply for an Employment Authorization Document (EAD).

DHS adopted the temporary policy in response to the difficulties many individuals experienced with renewing documents during the COVID-19 pandemic. Now that document-issuing authorities have reopened and/or provided alternatives to in-person renewals, DHS ended this flexibility on May 1, 2022 and employers must only accept unexpired List B documents.

Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) for Venezuela expired on July 20, 2022. Venezuelans and individuals without nationality who last habitually resided in Venezuela who wish to apply for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) under the existing designation, including those who were covered under the January 2021 grant of DED, may apply for TPS before the registration period ends Sept. 9, 2022.

DHS published Federal Register notice 87 FR 18377 on March 30 to invite public comments on its proposed extension and revisions to Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification, before it expires on Oct. 31. The Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 requires a 60-day and a 30-day comment period for this Form I-9 extension. The second comment period will be open for 30 days, until August 8, 2022.