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.