TPS TERMINATED FOR CITIZENS OF BURUNDI

The Secretary of Homeland Security recently determined that conditions in Burundi no longer support the TPS designation and announced that he is terminating the designation. To provide an orderly transition for affected individuals, this termination is effective at 12:01 a.m., local time, May 2, 2009. To allow sufficient time for eligible persons to re-register for the final 18 months of TPS for Burundi, the current Employment Authorization Documents (EADs) held by individuals who have been granted TPS are automatically extended through May 2, 2008. This will allow sufficient time for eligible TPS beneficiaries to receive a new EAD without any lapse in employment. The 60-day re-registration period begins on October 29, 2007 and will end on December 28, 2007.

TPS status as its name implies, is temporary. Those with this status are permitted to work, but do not have permanent resident status and are not eligible to become citizens based on this status. Upon the conclusion of TPS status, former TPS beneficiaries return to the same immigration status they maintained before registering for TPS (unless that status has since expired or been terminated), or to any other status they may have acquired while registered for TPS. Accordingly, if an individual did not have lawful status at the time of receiving TPS benefits, and did not obtain any other status during the TPS designation period, he or she will revert to being without lawful status upon the termination of the designation of Burundi for TPS. Such individuals are expected to depart the United States on or before May 2, 2009. Those who do not comply with this requirement may be subject to removal.

-Adapted from Burundi TPS Termination at http://miracoalition.org/issues/federal/immigration-services/updates/burundi-tps-termination cited in , MIRA Bulletin November 2007.

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