Recession forces immigrants in the US to default on renewing permits

The financial crisis and the onset of recession in the US has caused several thousands of Central American immigrants to miss the deadline to renew their temporary protected status (TPS) this year, which enables them to stay in the US legally.

The TPS is a temporary immigration status granted to eligible nationals from certain countries that are experiencing temporary negative conditions such as armed conflict or environmental disasters that make it difficult for the nationals to return in safety, or for the countries to accept their return.

Like all US citizenship and immigration service procedures, renewing a temporary protected status involves a form along with proof of identity and employment authorisation form at a cost of around $420. Of this $80 is apportioned towards renewing their status and the remaining $340 for an employment authorisation card.

One of the reasons cited for immigrants not renewing their TPS is their inability to muster up the money to pay for the cost of processing their papers. The current financial crisis has left many immigrants, employed mainly as hourly workers, either losing their jobs or being forced by their employers to work fewer hours, which leaves them with just enough to make their ends meet.

Almost 350,000 Central American immigrants are qualified for renewal of their temporary protected status, a legal status granted to them by the Bush government in 2001 intended to help some of the illegal Salvadorans living in the US to earn money and send it home to their families, affected by the earthquakes that year. Similarly, Honduran and Nicaraguan immigrants were granted legal status by the US government in 1999 after the Hurricane Mitch.

However, more than one-third of all qualified immigrants, mostly from Honduras, Nicaragua and El Salvador, have yet to file their renewal papers as of last week.

The US Immigration and Citizenship Services (USCIS)  accepts late renewal forms if applicants can prove a genuine reason for not submitting their papers on time.

USCIS has already announced an automatic extension of the validity of employment authorization documents (EADs) for eligible Salvadoran TPS beneficiaries for six months through 9 September 2009.

This will allow sufficient time for eligible TPS beneficiaries to re-register and receive an EAD without any lapse in employment authorization. Initially, the expiration date for Salvadorians EADs was March 9, 2009. USCIS has automatically extended EADs validity period to allow for the agency to process and re-issue new EADs for such beneficiaries.

This entails the immigrants now to renew their legal status first as their existing employment authorisation cards are valid through Sept. 9, 2009.

Inspite of this provision, a large number of immigrants are shying away from getting their TPS processed indicates the deep financial crisis people are facing, which the respective embassies in Washington needs to act to salvage the situation of these immigrants from turning to be illegal residents in the US.