Designation of Lebanon for Temporary Protected Status

<NOTICE> DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY <SUBAGY>U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services</SUBAGY> <DEPDOC>[CIS No. 2789-25; DHS Docket No. USCIS-2024-0015]</DEPDOC> <RIN>RIN 1615-ZC11</RIN> <SUBJECT>Designation of Lebanon for Temporary Protected Status</SUBJECT> <HD SOURCE="HED">AGENCY:</HD> U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), Department of Homeland Security (DHS). <HD SOURCE="HED">ACTION:</HD> Notice of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designation. <SUM> <HD SOURCE="HED">SUMMARY:</HD> Through this notice, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announces that the Secretary of Homeland Security (Secretary) is designating Lebanon for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for 18 months, beginning on November 27, 2024, and ending on May 27, 2026. This designation allows Lebanese nationals (and individuals having no nationality who last habitually resided in Lebanon) who have continuously resided in the United States since October 16, 2024, and who have been continuously physically present in the United States since November 27, 2024, to apply for TPS. </SUM> <DATES> <HD SOURCE="HED">DATES:</HD> <E T="03">Designation of Lebanon for TPS</E> begins on November 27, 2024, and will remain in effect for 18 months. For registration instructions, see the Registration Information section below. </DATES> <FURINF> <HD SOURCE="HED">FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:</HD> • You may contact Rená Cutlip-Mason, Chief, Humanitarian Affairs Division, Office of Policy and Strategy, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Department of Homeland Security, by mail at 5900 Capital Gateway Drive, Camp Springs, MD 20746, or by phone at 240-721-3000. • For further information on TPS, including guidance on the registration process and additional information on eligibility, please visit the USCIS TPS web page at <E T="03">https://uscis.gov/tps.</E> You can find specific information about Lebanon's TPS designation by selecting “Lebanon” from the menu on the left side of the TPS web page. • If you have additional questions about TPS, please visit <E T="03">https://uscis.gov/tools.</E> Our online virtual assistant, Emma, can answer many of your questions and point you to additional information on our website. If you cannot find your answers there, you may also call our USCIS Contact Center at 800-375-5283 (TTY 800-767-1833). • Applicants seeking information about the status of their individual cases may check Case Status Online, available on the USCIS website at <E T="03">uscis.gov</E> , or visit the USCIS Contact Center at <E T="03">https://uscis.gov/contactcenter.</E> • You can also find more information at local USCIS offices after this notice is published. </FURINF> <SUPLINF> <HD SOURCE="HED">SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:</HD> <HD SOURCE="HD1">Table of Abbreviations</HD> <EXTRACT> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">BIA—Board of Immigration Appeals</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">CFR—Code of Federal Regulations</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">DHS—U.S. Department of Homeland Security</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">DoS—U.S. Department of State</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">EAD—Employment Authorization Document</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">FNC—Final Nonconfirmation</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">Form I-131—Application for Travel Documents, Parole Documents, and Arrival/Departure Records</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">Form I-765—Application for Employment Authorization</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">Form I-797—Notice of Action (Approval Notice)</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">Form I-797C—Notice of Action (Receipt Notice)</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">Form I-821—Application for Temporary Protected Status</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">Form I-9—Employment Eligibility Verification</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">Form I-912—Request for Fee Waiver</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">Form I-94—Arrival/Departure Record</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">FR—Federal Register</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">Government—U.S. Government</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">IER—U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division, Immigrant and Employee Rights Section</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">IJ—Immigration Judge</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">INA—Immigration and Nationality Act</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">PDF—Portable Document Format</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">SAVE—USCIS Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements Program</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">Secretary—Secretary of Homeland Security</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">TPS—Temporary Protected Status</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">TTY—Text Telephone</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">USCIS—U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services</FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1">U.S.C.—United States Code</FP> </EXTRACT> <HD SOURCE="HD1">Registration Information</HD> <E T="03">Registration:</E> The registration period for individuals to apply for TPS begins on November 27, 2024, and will remain in effect through May 27, 2026. <HD SOURCE="HD1">Purpose of This Action (TPS)</HD> Through this notice, DHS sets forth procedures necessary for nationals of Lebanon (or individuals having no nationality who last habitually resided in Lebanon) to submit an initial registration application under the designation of Lebanon for TPS and apply for an Employment Authorization Document (EAD). Under the designation, individuals must submit an initial Application for Temporary Protected Status (Form I-821) for Lebanon, and they may also submit an Application for Employment Authorization (Form I-765), during the 18-month initial registration period that runs from November 27, 2024, through May 27, 2026. In addition to demonstrating continuous residence in the United States since October 16, 2024, <SU>1</SU> <FTREF/> and meeting other eligibility criteria, initial applicants for TPS under this designation must demonstrate that they have been continuously physically present in the United States since November 27, 2024, the effective date of this designation of Lebanon, before USCIS may grant them TPS. DHS estimates that approximately 11,000 individuals are eligible to apply for TPS under the designation of Lebanon. <FTNT> <SU>1</SU>  The “continuous residence date” (CR) is any date established by the Secretary when a country is designated (or sometimes redesignated) for TPS. The “continuous physical presence date” (CPP) is the effective date of the most recent TPS designation of the country, which is either the publication date of the designation announcement in the <E T="04">Federal Register</E> or a later date established by the Secretary. <E T="03">See</E> INA sec. 244(b)(2)(A) (effective date of designation), (c)(1)(A)(i)-(ii) (discussing CR and CPP date requirements); 8 U.S.C. 1254a(b)(2)(A), (c)(1)(A)(i)-(ii). </FTNT> <HD SOURCE="HD1">What is Temporary Protected Status (TPS)?</HD> • TPS is a temporary immigration status granted to eligible nationals of a foreign state designated for TPS under the INA, or to eligible individuals without nationality who last habitually resided in the designated foreign state, regardless of their country of birth. • During the TPS designation period, TPS beneficiaries are eligible to remain in the United States, may not be removed, are authorized to work, and may obtain EADs if they continue to meet the requirements of TPS. • TPS beneficiaries may also apply for and be granted travel authorization as a matter of DHS discretion. • To qualify for TPS, beneficiaries must meet the eligibility standards at INA section 244(c)(1)-(2), 8 U.S.C. 1254a(c)(1)-(2). • When the Secretary terminates a foreign state's TPS designation, beneficiaries return to one of the following: ○ The same immigration status or category that they maintained before TPS, if any (unless that status or category has since expired or terminated); or ○ Any other lawfully obtained immigration status or category they received while registered for TPS, as long as it is still valid beyond the date TPS terminates. <HD SOURCE="HD1">What authority does the Secretary have to designate Lebanon for TPS?</HD> Section 244(b)(1) of the INA, 8 U.S.C. 1254a(b)(1), authorizes the Secretary, after consultation with appropriate agencies of the U.S. Government, to designate a foreign state (or part thereof) for TPS if the Secretary determines that certain country conditions exist. <SU>2</SU> <FTREF/> The Secretary may designate a country (or part of a country) for TPS on the basis of an “ongoing armed conflict” in the country if, due to such conflict, requiring the return of that country's nationals “would pose a serious threat to their personal safety.”  <SU>3</SU> <FTREF/> The Secretary also may designate a country (or part thereof) for TPS if the Secretary finds “that there exist extraordinary and temporary conditions” in the country that prevent that country's nationals “from returning to the [country] in safety,” unless the Secretary finds that permitting such nationals “to remain temporarily in the United States is contrary to the national interest of the United States.”  <SU>4</SU> <FTREF/> <FTNT> <SU>2</SU>  Although INA section 244(b)(1) ascribes this power to the Attorney General, Congress transferred this authority from the Attorney General to the Secretary of Homeland Security. <E T="03">See</E> Homeland Security Act of 2002, Pub. L. 107-296, 116 Stat. 2135 (2002); <E T="03">see also</E> 8 U.S.C. 1103(a); 6 U.S.C. 557. </FTNT> <FTNT> <SU>3</SU>  INA sec. 244(b)(1)(A), 8 U.S.C. 1254a(b)(1)(A). </FTNT> <FTNT> <SU>4</SU>  INA sec. 244(b)(1)(C), 8 U.S.C. 1254a(b)(1)(C). In addition, the Secretary may designate a country (or part thereof) for TPS based on an environmental disaster if the country has officially requested such designation and certain other statutory requirements are met. INA sec. 244(b)(1)(B), 8 U.S.C. 1254a(b)(1)(B). </FTNT> The decision to designate any foreign state (or part thereof) is a discretionary decision, and there is no judicial review of any determination with respect to the designation, termination, or extension of a designation. <E T="03">S ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ Preview showing 10k of 54k characters. Full document text is stored and available for version comparison. ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━