On Friday, March 23, 2012, the U.S. Government announced its intentions to grant Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to Syrians. TPS provides citizens from designated countries to remain in the United States while conditions in their country improve. TPS is often given to citizens after some sort of national calamity has befallen a country – such as the Haitian earthquake, or, in this case, the civil unrest in Syria.
TPS provides legal status to qualifying individuals and allows them to gain work authorization. Further, current immigration status is not required to obtain TPS. Unfortunately, it often occurs that many individuals who are eligible for the status do not sign up for it because they do not hear about it in time.
So if you have any Syrian friends, mention it to them. If they don’t need it, maybe their friend does.
The exact procedure for signing up for Syrian TPS has not yet been given, but stay tuned – there will be a limited time to sign up. If you think you may be eligible, please contact an immigration lawyer to review your eligibility.