The Department of Homeland Security announced this week that it would extend Temporary Protected Status for Somali nationals for an additional eighteen months. During this period, approved Somali nationals in the U.S. cannot be detained by DHS solely on the basis of their immigration status. They are also eligible to receive work authorization during this time.

The extension will be effective from September 18, 2015 through March 17, 2017. Current Somali TPS beneficiaries who wish to extend their TPS and receive a new Employment Authorization Document must re-register with USCIS between June 1, 2015 and July 31, 2015. The new employment documents will expire on the final day of the extension, March 17, 2017.

Temporary Protected Status, or TPS, is a DHS designation that prohibits immigration detention and grants work authorization when conditions in a country temporarily prevent nationals from returning safely, or when the country is unable to adequately handle their return. TPS may be granted due to armed conflict, environmental disaster, or other extraordinary and temporary conditions.