Notice2024-27788
Designation of Lebanon for Temporary Protected Status
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
November 27, 2024
Issuing agencies
Homeland Security DepartmentU.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
Abstract
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.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 89 Issue 229 (Wednesday, November 27, 2024)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 229 (Wednesday, November 27, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 93641-93647]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2024-27788]
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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
[CIS No. 2789-25; DHS Docket No. USCIS-2024-0015]
RIN 1615-ZC11
Designation of Lebanon for Temporary Protected Status
AGENCY: U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), Department
of Homeland Security (DHS).
ACTION: Notice of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designation.
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SUMMARY: 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.
DATES: Designation of Lebanon for TPS begins on November 27, 2024, and
will remain in effect for 18 months. For registration instructions, see
the Registration Information section below.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
<bullet> You may contact Ren[aacute] 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.
<bullet> For further information on TPS, including guidance on the
registration process and additional information on eligibility, please
visit the USCIS TPS web page at <a href="https://uscis.gov/tps">https://uscis.gov/tps</a>. 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.
<bullet> If you have additional questions about TPS, please visit
<a href="https://uscis.gov/tools">https://uscis.gov/tools</a>. 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).
[[Page 93642]]
<bullet> Applicants seeking information about the status of their
individual cases may check Case Status Online, available on the USCIS
website at <a href="http://uscis.gov">uscis.gov</a>, or visit the USCIS Contact Center at <a href="https://uscis.gov/contactcenter">https://uscis.gov/contactcenter</a>.
<bullet> You can also find more information at local USCIS offices
after this notice is published.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Table of Abbreviations
BIA--Board of Immigration Appeals
CFR--Code of Federal Regulations
DHS--U.S. Department of Homeland Security
DoS--U.S. Department of State
EAD--Employment Authorization Document
FNC--Final Nonconfirmation
Form I-131--Application for Travel Documents, Parole Documents, and
Arrival/Departure Records
Form I-765--Application for Employment Authorization
Form I-797--Notice of Action (Approval Notice)
Form I-797C--Notice of Action (Receipt Notice)
Form I-821--Application for Temporary Protected Status
Form I-9--Employment Eligibility Verification
Form I-912--Request for Fee Waiver
Form I-94--Arrival/Departure Record
FR--Federal Register
Government--U.S. Government
IER--U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division, Immigrant
and Employee Rights Section
IJ--Immigration Judge
INA--Immigration and Nationality Act
PDF--Portable Document Format
SAVE--USCIS Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements Program
Secretary--Secretary of Homeland Security
TPS--Temporary Protected Status
TTY--Text Telephone
USCIS--U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
U.S.C.--United States Code
Registration Information
Registration: The registration period for individuals to apply for
TPS begins on November 27, 2024, and will remain in effect through May
27, 2026.
Purpose of This Action (TPS)
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,\1\ 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.
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\1\ 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 Federal Register or a later date
established by the Secretary. See 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).
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What is Temporary Protected Status (TPS)?
<bullet> 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.
<bullet> 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.
<bullet> TPS beneficiaries may also apply for and be granted travel
authorization as a matter of DHS discretion.
<bullet> 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).
<bullet> When the Secretary terminates a foreign state's TPS
designation, beneficiaries return to one of the following:
[cir] The same immigration status or category that they maintained
before TPS, if any (unless that status or category has since expired or
terminated); or
[cir] 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.
What authority does the Secretary have to designate Lebanon for TPS?
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.\2\ 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.'' \3\ 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.'' \4\
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\2\ 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. See Homeland
Security Act of 2002, Pub. L. 107-296, 116 Stat. 2135 (2002); see
also 8 U.S.C. 1103(a); 6 U.S.C. 557.
\3\ INA sec. 244(b)(1)(A), 8 U.S.C. 1254a(b)(1)(A).
\4\ 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).
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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. See INA sec. 244(b)(5)(A), 8 U.S.C.
1254a(b)(5)(A). The Secretary, at their discretion, may then grant TPS
to eligible nationals of that foreign state (or individuals having no
nationality who last habitually resided in the designated foreign
state). See INA sec. 244(a)(1)(A), 8 U.S.C. 1254a(a)(1)(A).
At least 60 days before the expiration of a foreign state's TPS
designation or extension, the Secretary, after consultation with
appropriate U.S. Government agencies, must review the conditions in the
foreign state designated for TPS to determine whether they continue to
meet the conditions for the TPS designation. See INA sec. 244(b)(3)(A),
8 U.S.C. 1254a(b)(3)(A). If the Secretary determines that the
conditions in the foreign state continue to meet the conditions for TPS
designation, the designation will be extended for an additional period
of six months or, in the Secretary's discretion, 12 or 18 months. See
INA sec. 244(b)(3)(A), (C), 8 U.S.C. 1254a(b)(3)(A), (C). If the
Secretary determines that the foreign
[[Page 93643]]
state no longer meets the conditions for TPS designation, the Secretary
must terminate the designation. See INA sec. 244(b)(3)(B), 8 U.S.C.
1254a(b)(3)(B).
Why was Lebanon designated for TPS?
DHS has reviewed conditions in Lebanon. Based on this review,
including input received from the Department of State (DoS) and other
U.S. Government agencies, the Secretary has determined that an 18-month
TPS designation is warranted because of armed conflict and
extraordinary and temporary conditions described below.\5\
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\5\ This TPS designation for Lebanon is separate and apart from
the President's July 26, 2024 memorandum providing for deferred
enforced departure (DED) for certain Lebanese nationals in the
United States. See Deferred Enforced Departure for Certain Lebanese
Nationals, 89 FR 61341 (July 26, 2024); see also Implementation of
Employment Authorization for Individuals Covered by Deferred
Enforced Departure for Lebanon, 89 FR 83901 (Oct. 18, 2024).
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Overview
Long-standing humanitarian needs in Lebanon have been exacerbated
by an escalation of armed conflict in the country, resulting in
civilian casualties and massive numbers of displaced individuals.
Lebanon was already grappling with profound socioeconomic and political
crises, and the destruction and casualties caused by the ongoing armed
conflict further threaten the safety of people in Lebanon and have
significantly intensified the impact of the crises on people in
Lebanon.
Armed Conflict
Since October 7, 2023, there has been an escalation of hostilities
across the Lebanon-Israel border between Hezbollah \6\ and the Israel
Defense Forces. By September 2024, the conflict between Israel and
Hezbollah had significantly escalated, with Israel launching a ground
invasion of southern Lebanon on September 30, 2024.\7\ Israeli
airstrikes targeting Hezbollah strongholds, including in urban regions
in and around Beirut, caused civilian casualties and displacement.\8\
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\6\ Hezbollah (also spelled ``Hizballah'') was designated as a
foreign terrorist organization in 1997. See U.S. Dep't of State,
Country Reports on Terrorism 2022, 276, Nov. 30, 2023, available at
<a href="https://www.state.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Country_Reports_on_Terrorism_2022-v3.pdf">https://www.state.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Country_Reports_on_Terrorism_2022-v3.pdf</a> (accessed Oct. 15, 2024).
\7\ Israel-Hezbollah conflict in maps: Where is fighting
happening in Lebanon, BBC, Oct. 9, 2024, available at: <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c9vp7dg3ml1o">https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c9vp7dg3ml1o</a> (last visited Oct. 31, 2024);
ReliefWeb, Statement By the Humanitarian Coordinator for Lebanon,
Imran Riza, on the One-Year Mark of Escalations in Lebanon, 9
October 2024, available at: <a href="https://reliefweb.int/report/lebanon/statement-humanitarian-coordinator-lebanon-imran-riza-one-year-mark-escalations-lebanon-9-october-2024-enar">https://reliefweb.int/report/lebanon/statement-humanitarian-coordinator-lebanon-imran-riza-one-year-mark-escalations-lebanon-9-october-2024-enar</a> (accessed Oct. 31, 2024).
\8\ Melanie Lidman, Bassam Hatoum, and Bassem Mroue, Israel
expands its bombardment in Lebanon as thousands flee widening war,
AP, October 5, 2024, available at: <a href="https://apnews.com/article/mideast-wars-lebanon-hezbollah-hamas-5-october-2024-a8b70daeccc57a86fc6d939c604f2caf">https://apnews.com/article/mideast-wars-lebanon-hezbollah-hamas-5-october-2024-a8b70daeccc57a86fc6d939c604f2caf</a> (accessed Oct. 31, 2024).
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Since October 2023, more than 2,000 people in Lebanon have been
killed and almost 10,000 injured, with approximately 1,100 people in
Lebanon killed and 7,000 injured between September 17, 2024, and
October 7, 2024 alone.\9\ Approximately one million people have been
impacted by the conflict, with estimates of between 541,000 and one
million people being displaced in Lebanon, and over 200,000 people have
fled to Syria.\10\ The armed conflict has resulted in one of the
deadliest periods in Lebanon's recent history.\11\
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\9\ 9 Lebanon: Flash Update #33--Escalation of hostilities in
Lebanon, United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian
Affairs (OCHA), Oct. 9, 2024, available at: <a href="https://reliefweb.int/report/lebanon/lebanon-flash-update-33-escalation-hostilities-lebanon-7-october-2024">https://reliefweb.int/report/lebanon/lebanon-flash-update-33-escalation-hostilities-lebanon-7-october-2024</a> (last visited Oct. 31, 2024); Lebanon: At a
Glance--Escalation of hostilities in Lebanon, as of 07 October 2024,
United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
(OCHA), Oct. 7, 2024, available at: <a href="https://reliefweb.int/report/lebanon/lebanon-glance-escalation-hostilities-lebanon-07-october-2024-assistance-provided-27-september-2024">https://reliefweb.int/report/lebanon/lebanon-glance-escalation-hostilities-lebanon-07-october-2024-assistance-provided-27-september-2024</a> (last visited Oct. 31,
2024).
\10\ OCHA, Today's top news: Lebanon, Occupied Palestinian
Territory, Cameroon, Oct. 18, 2024, available at: <a href="https://www.unocha.org/news/todays-top-news-lebanon-occupied-palestinian-territory-cameroon">https://www.unocha.org/news/todays-top-news-lebanon-occupied-palestinian-territory-cameroon</a> (accessed Oct. 31, 2024); Displacement Tracking
Matrix: Lebanon, Mobility Snapshot: Round 51, International
Organization for Migration (IOM), Oct. 7, 2024, available at:
<a href="https://dtm.iom.int/reports/lebanon-mobility-snapshot-round-51-07-10-2024">https://dtm.iom.int/reports/lebanon-mobility-snapshot-round-51-07-10-2024</a> (last visited Oct. 31, 2024). See also European Commission,
Lebanon, available at: https://civil-protection-humanitarian-
aid.ec.europa.eu/where/middle-east-and-northern-africa/
lebanon_en#:~:text=People%20in%20Lebanon%2C%20including%20refugees,ar
e%20dramatically%20exacerbating%20these%20vulnerabilities (accessed
Oct. 31, 2024); United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees,
Displaced families in Lebanon yearn for peace and a return home,
Oct. 6, 2024, available at: <a href="https://www.unhcr.org/us/news/stories/displaced-families-lebanon-yearn-peace-and-return-home">https://www.unhcr.org/us/news/stories/displaced-families-lebanon-yearn-peace-and-return-home</a> (accessed
Nov. 4, 2024).
\11\ ReliefWeb, Statement By the Humanitarian Coordinator for
Lebanon, Imran Riza, on the One-Year Mark of Escalations in Lebanon,
9 October 2024, available at: <a href="https://reliefweb.int/report/lebanon/statement-humanitarian-coordinator-lebanon-imran-riza-one-year-mark-escalations-lebanon-9-october-2024-enar">https://reliefweb.int/report/lebanon/statement-humanitarian-coordinator-lebanon-imran-riza-one-year-mark-escalations-lebanon-9-october-2024-enar</a> (accessed Oct. 31, 2024).
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Economic Crisis
Lebanon has been experiencing an economic crisis since 2019.\12\ In
October 2019, the Lebanese pound collapsed due to the nation's
``unstable fixed exchange rate, large external and fiscal deficits, and
mounting losses in the banking sector, which led to an abrupt reduction
of capital inflows.'' \13\ In March 2020, Lebanon defaulted on its
government debt for the first time in its history.\14\ Since the onset
of the financial crisis in 2019, the Lebanese pound has lost more than
98% of its value.\15\ In 2021, the International Monetary Fund (IMF)
estimated that Lebanon's economic collapse may be the third worst
economic crisis in the world since the mid-nineteenth century.\16\
Almost four years after the collapse, in December 2023, the IMF warned
that ``the small nation is still facing `enormous economic challenges,'
with a collapsed banking sector, eroding public services, deteriorating
infrastructure and worsening poverty.'' \17\
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\12\ Georgetown Journal of International Affairs, The End Game
to Lebanon's Woes: IMF Reform and Political Willingness, Nov. 10,
2023, available at: <a href="https://gjia.georgetown.edu/2023/11/10/the-end-game-to-lebanons-woes-imf-reform-and-political-willingness/">https://gjia.georgetown.edu/2023/11/10/the-end-game-to-lebanons-woes-imf-reform-and-political-willingness/</a>
(accessed Oct. 31, 2024).
\13\ Georgetown Journal of International Affairs, The End Game
to Lebanon's Woes: IMF Reform and Political Willingness, Nov. 10,
2023, available at: <a href="https://gjia.georgetown.edu/2023/11/10/the-end-game-to-lebanons-woes-imf-reform-and-political-willingness/">https://gjia.georgetown.edu/2023/11/10/the-end-game-to-lebanons-woes-imf-reform-and-political-willingness/</a>
(accessed Oct. 31, 2024).
\14\ The Guardian, Lebanon to default on debt for first time
amid financial crisis, Mar. 7, 2020, available at: <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/07/lebanon-to-default-on-debt-for-first-time-amid-financial-crisis">https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/07/lebanon-to-default-on-debt-for-first-time-amid-financial-crisis</a> (accessed Oct. 31, 2024).
\15\ World Bank, Lebanon: New World Bank Project to Restore
Basic Fiscal Management Functions in Support of Public Service
Delivery, Feb. 15, 2024, available at: https://www.worldbank.org/en/
news/press-release/2024/02/15/lebanon-new-world-bank-project-to-
restore-basic-fiscal-management-functions-in-support-of-public-
service-
delivery#:~:text=Beirut%2C%20February%2015%2C%202024%20%E2%80%93,and%
20use%20of%20public%20resources (accessed Oct. 31, 2024).
\16\ The World Bank, Lebanon Economic Monitor, Spring 2021:
Lebanon Sinking (to the Top 3), available at: <a href="https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/lebanon/publication/lebanon-economic-monitor-spring-2021-lebanon-sinking-to-the-top-3">https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/lebanon/publication/lebanon-economic-monitor-spring-2021-lebanon-sinking-to-the-top-3</a> (accessed Oct. 31,
2024).
\17\ Bassem Mroue, IMF warns Lebanon that the country is still
facing enormous challenges, years after a meltdown began, Reuters,
Sept. 15, 2023, available at: <a href="https://apnews.com/article/lebanon-imf-central-bank-sayrafa-banks-meltdown-0d56ddea8dc9510d110959f794a06ed9">https://apnews.com/article/lebanon-imf-central-bank-sayrafa-banks-meltdown-0d56ddea8dc9510d110959f794a06ed9</a> (accessed Oct. 31, 2024).
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Poverty in Lebanon has more than tripled over the past decade
reaching 44% of the total population.\18\ Families in Lebanon are
described as multidimensionally poor, with ``rising deprivation in the
areas of health care, medicines, services, education employment,
housing and assets.'' \19\
[[Page 93644]]
Protective food subsidies have ended and living costs have risen
dramatically, preventing families from accessing enough food and other
basic needs each day.\20\
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\18\ World Bank, Lebanon Poverty and Equity Assessment 2024:
Weathering a Protracted Crisis (English). Washington, DC: World Bank
Group, May 23, 2024, available at: <a href="https://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/099052224104516741/pdf/P1766511325da10a71ab6b1ae97816dd20c.pdf">https://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/099052224104516741/pdf/P1766511325da10a71ab6b1ae97816dd20c.pdf</a> (accessed Oct. 31, 2024).
\19\ United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western
Asia (ESCWA), Multidimensional poverty in Lebanon (2019-2021),
available at: <a href="https://www.unescwa.org/sites/default/files/news/docs/21-00634-_multidimentional_poverty_in_lebanon_-policy_brief_-_en.pdf">https://www.unescwa.org/sites/default/files/news/docs/21-00634-_multidimentional_poverty_in_lebanon_-policy_brief_-_en.pdf</a>
(accessed Oct. 31, 2024).
\20\ IPC--Integrated Food Security Phase Classification,
Lebanon: Acute Food Insecurity Projection Update for April-September
2023, May 30, 2024, available at: <a href="https://www.ipcinfo.org/ipc-country-analysis/details-map/en/c/1157035/?iso3=LBN">https://www.ipcinfo.org/ipc-country-analysis/details-map/en/c/1157035/?iso3=LBN</a> (accessed Nov.
5, 2024).
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Political Crisis
Since 2022, reports have implicated current and former Lebanese
prime ministers in corruption cases.\21\ More crucially, Lebanon has
not had a President since 2022, when Michel Aoun stepped down a day
before his presidential term expired.\22\ The country's affairs are run
by an unelected caretaker government; with no elected president,
passage of new legislation and much needed economic reform is not
occurring.\23\ Moreover, since the hostilities increased between Israel
and Hezbollah, tensions have also increased between Hezbollah and Sunni
and Maronite factions, making political agreements unlikely in the
near-term.\24\
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\21\ The Washington Post, Pandora Papers: Leaks prompt
investigations in some countries--and denial in others, Oct. 9,
2021, available at: <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world">https://www.washingtonpost.com/world</a>/2021/10/09/
russia-ukraine-jordan-lebanon-pandora-papers/ (accessed Oct. 31,
2024).
\22\ Lebanon's president leaves with no replacement amid
political, economic crisis, PBS News Hour, Oct. 30, 2022, available
at: <a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/lebanons-president-leaves-with-no-replacement-amid-political-economic-crisis">https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/lebanons-president-leaves-with-no-replacement-amid-political-economic-crisis</a> (accessed Oct.
31, 2024); Matt Bradley, Analysis: As war rages, some in Lebanon see
opportunity in a weakened Hezbollah, NBC News, Oct. 4, 2024,
available at: <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/israel-hezbollah-war-nasrallah-airstrikes-hamas-gaza-assassinations-rcna173851">https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/israel-hezbollah-war-nasrallah-airstrikes-hamas-gaza-assassinations-rcna173851</a>
(accessed Oct. 31, 2024).
\23\ Matt Bradley, Analysis: As war rages, some in Lebanon see
opportunity in a weakened Hezbollah, NBC News, Oct. 4, 2024,
available at: <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/israel-hezbollah-war-nasrallah-airstrikes-hamas-gaza-assassinations-rcna173851">https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/israel-hezbollah-war-nasrallah-airstrikes-hamas-gaza-assassinations-rcna173851</a>
(accessed Oct. 31, 2024).
\24\ Instability in Lebanon, Global Conflict Tracker, Center for
Preventive Action, Council on Foreign Relations, Feb. 13, 2024,
available at: <a href="https://www.cfr.org/global-conflict-tracker/conflict/political-instability-lebanon">https://www.cfr.org/global-conflict-tracker/conflict/political-instability-lebanon</a> (accessed Oct. 31, 2024).
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The inability to effectively govern in Lebanon has resulted in
financial insolvency, crumbling infrastructure, and the inability to
provide basic services including access to electricity and fuel.\25\
Problems with the electric utility are particularly severe, leading to
shortages, including in August of this year when ``Lebanon's only
operational power plant shut down after the state-run electricity
company . . . ran out of fuel, resulting in a complete nationwide power
outage.'' \26\ The blackout ``left residents and key state
institutions, such as the airport, water pump stations, sewage systems,
and prisons, without state-provided electricity for more than 24 hours,
and reliant on costly and highly polluting private diesel generators.''
\27\ The Lebanese state is unable to provide the vast majority of
citizens with more than one to three hours of electricity per day.\28\
This lack of access to electricity has adversely impacted access to
education, health, water, sanitation, and a healthy environment.\29\
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\25\ International Organization for Migration, Lebanon Crisis
Response Plan 2024, available at: <a href="https://crisisresponse.iom.int/response/lebanon-crisis-response-plan-2024">https://crisisresponse.iom.int/response/lebanon-crisis-response-plan-2024</a> (accessed Oct. 31, 2024);
Human Rights Watch, Cut Off From Life Itself: Lebanon's Failure on
the Right to Electricity, Mar. 9, 2023, available at: <a href="https://www.hrw.org/report/2023/03/09/cut-life-itself/lebanons-failure-right-electricity">https://www.hrw.org/report/2023/03/09/cut-life-itself/lebanons-failure-right-electricity</a> (accessed Oct. 31, 2024).
\26\ Human Rights Watch, Lebanon: Nationwide Electricity
Blackout, Aug. 29, 2024, available at <a href="https://www.hrw.org/news/2024/08/29/lebanon-nationwide-electricity-blackout">https://www.hrw.org/news/2024/08/29/lebanon-nationwide-electricity-blackout</a> (accessed Oct. 31,
2024).
\27\ Human Rights Watch, Lebanon: Nationwide Electricity
Blackout, Aug. 29, 2024, available at <a href="https://www.hrw.org/news/2024/08/29/lebanon-nationwide-electricity-blackout">https://www.hrw.org/news/2024/08/29/lebanon-nationwide-electricity-blackout</a> (accessed Oct. 31,
2024).
\28\ Human Rights Watch, ``Cut Off From Life Itself'' Lebanon's
Failure on the Right to Electricity, Mar. 9, 2023, available at:
<a href="https://www.hrw.org/report/2023/03/09/cut-life-itself/lebanons-failure-right-electricity">https://www.hrw.org/report/2023/03/09/cut-life-itself/lebanons-failure-right-electricity</a> (accessed Oct. 31, 2024).
\29\ Id.
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Humanitarian Crisis
The economic crisis, government failings, and recent escalating
conflict have worsened an already fragile humanitarian situation in
Lebanon.\30\ According to the United Nations Office for the
Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, ``one year on from the escalation
of hostilities across the country's southern border, Lebanon's
humanitarian crisis is deteriorating at an alarming rate,'' with
Israeli airstrikes expanding beyond the border into civilian areas and
greatly impacting vulnerable populations in Lebanon.\31\ Access to
sufficient food, water, and healthcare has decreased.\32\ Humanitarian
needs continue to increase amid the escalating hostilities in Lebanon,
exacerbated by the damage to vital infrastructure.\33\
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\30\ OCHA, Today's top news: Israel and Occupied Palestinian
Territory, Lebanon, Sudan, Oct. 7, 2024, available at: <a href="https://www.unocha.org/news/todays-top-news-israel-and-occupied-palestinian-territory-lebanon-sudan">https://www.unocha.org/news/todays-top-news-israel-and-occupied-palestinian-territory-lebanon-sudan</a> (accessed Oct. 31, 2024).
\31\ Lebanon: Flash Update #33--Escalation of hostilities in
Lebanon, United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian
Affairs (OCHA), Oct. 9, 2024, available at: <a href="https://reliefweb.int/report/lebanon/lebanon-flash-update-33-escalation-hostilities-lebanon-7-october-2024">https://reliefweb.int/report/lebanon/lebanon-flash-update-33-escalation-hostilities-lebanon-7-october-2024</a> (last visited Oct. 31, 2024).
\32\ OCHA, Today's top news: Israel and Occupied Palestinian
Territory, Lebanon, Sudan, Oct. 7, 2024, available at: <a href="https://www.unocha.org/news/todays-top-news-israel-and-occupied-palestinian-territory-lebanon-sudan">https://www.unocha.org/news/todays-top-news-israel-and-occupied-palestinian-territory-lebanon-sudan</a> (accessed Oct. 31, 2024); World Food
Programme, Lebanon, available at: <a href="https://www.wfp.org/countries/lebanon">https://www.wfp.org/countries/lebanon</a> (accessed Oct. 31, 2024).
\33\ OCHA, Today's top news: Israel and Occupied Palestinian
Territory, Lebanon, Sudan, Oct. 7, 2024, available at: <a href="https://www.unocha.org/news/todays-top-news-israel-and-occupied-palestinian-territory-lebanon-sudan">https://www.unocha.org/news/todays-top-news-israel-and-occupied-palestinian-territory-lebanon-sudan</a> (accessed Oct. 31, 2024).
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Financial barriers and lack of medicine have significantly reduced
access to health care in Lebanon.\34 \ The ongoing hostilities have
aggravated these issues, with services struggling to respond to the
needs of the displaced and conflict-affected,\35\ and health care
facilities have been either destroyed or closed due to the
conflict.\36\ Access to food and potable water continue to be limited,
as ``[w]ater infrastructure is also affected with to date, at least 25
water facilities damaged affecting more than 300,000 people.'' \37\
According to the World Food Programme, 2.5 million people of the 5.3
million population need food assistance and 47.5 percent of people in
Lebanon (including Lebanese nationals and refugees) are food
insecure.\38\
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\34\ European Commission, Lebanon, available at: https://civil-
protection-humanitarian-aid.ec.europa.eu/where/middle-east-and-
northern-africa/
lebanon_en#:~:text=People%20in%20Lebanon%2C%20including%20refugees,ar
e%20dramatically%20exacerbating%20these%20vulnerabilities (accessed
Oct. 31, 2024).
\35\ Id.
\36\ OCHA, Today's top news: Israel and Occupied Palestinian
Territory, Lebanon, Sudan, Oct. 7, 2024, available at: <a href="https://www.unocha.org/news/todays-top-news-israel-and-occupied-palestinian-territory-lebanon-sudan">https://www.unocha.org/news/todays-top-news-israel-and-occupied-palestinian-territory-lebanon-sudan</a> (accessed Oct. 31, 2024).
\37\ Id.
\38\ World Food Programme, Lebanon, available at: <a href="https://www.wfp.org/countries/lebanon">https://www.wfp.org/countries/lebanon</a> (accessed Oct. 31, 2024).
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Moreover, increasing levels of internal displacement are
exacerbating the challenges facing Lebanon, including those related to
hosting the substantial Syrian refugee population.\39\ Children have
also been impacted by the conflict. The start of the new school year
has been postponed until November 4th as 75 percent of the country's
public schools have been converted into shelters.\40\ ``More than 10%
of the 1.2
[[Page 93645]]
million school-aged Lebanese children are out of school, mainly due to
economic vulnerabilities. Additionally, 54% of the 715,000 Syrian
refugee children are out of formal education, with only 47,000 of them
accessing some form of non-formal education.'' \41\
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\39\ OCHA, Today's top news: Lebanon, Occupied Palestinian
Territory, Cameroon, Oct. 18, 2024, available at: <a href="https://www.unocha.org/news/todays-top-news-lebanon-occupied-palestinian-territory-cameroon">https://www.unocha.org/news/todays-top-news-lebanon-occupied-palestinian-territory-cameroon</a> (accessed Oct. 31, 2024); Human Rights Watch,
Lebanon Events of 2022, available at: <a href="https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2023/country-chapters/lebanon">https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2023/country-chapters/lebanon</a> (accessed Oct. 31, 2024).
\40\ ReliefWeb, Statement by the Humanitarian Coordinator for
Lebanon, Imran Riza, on the One-Year Mark of Escalations in Lebanon,
9 October 2024, available at: <a href="https://reliefweb.int/report/lebanon/statement-humanitarian-coordinator-lebanon-imran-riza-one-year-mark-escalations-lebanon-9-october-2024-enar">https://reliefweb.int/report/lebanon/statement-humanitarian-coordinator-lebanon-imran-riza-one-year-mark-escalations-lebanon-9-october-2024-enar</a> (accessed Oct. 31, 2024).
\41\ European Commission, Lebanon, available at: https://civil-
protection-humanitarian-aid.ec.europa.eu/where/middle-east-and-
northern-africa/
lebanon_en#:~:text=People%20in%20Lebanon%2C%20including%20refugees,ar
e%20dramatically%20exacerbating%20these%20vulnerabilities (accessed
Oct. 31, 2024).
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In summary, based on the escalation of armed conflict and its
resulting impacts on critical infrastructure, pre-existing economic and
political crises, and further deteriorating humanitarian conditions,
Lebanese nationals are unable to return safely to their homes.
Notice of the Designation of Lebanon for TPS
By the authority vested in me as Secretary under INA section 244, 8
U.S.C. 1254a, I have determined, after consultation with the
appropriate U.S. Government agencies, the statutory conditions
supporting Lebanon's designation for TPS on the basis of armed conflict
and extraordinary and temporary conditions are met, and it is not
contrary to the national interest of the United States to permit TPS
Lebanon beneficiaries to remain in the United States temporarily. See
INA sec. 244(b)(1)(A) and (C), 8 U.S.C. 1254a(b)(1)(A) and (C). I
estimate approximately 11,000 individuals may be eligible for TPS under
the designation of Lebanon. On the basis of this determination, I am
designating Lebanon for TPS for 18 months, beginning on November 27,
2024, and ending on May 27, 2026. See INA sec. 244(b)(1) and (b)(2); 8
U.S.C. 1254a(b)(1), and (b)(2).
Alejandro N. Mayorkas
Secretary, U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Eligibility and Employment Authorization for TPS
Required Application Forms and Application Fees To Register for TPS
To register for TPS based on the designation of Lebanon, you must
submit a Form I-821 and pay the filing fee (or request a fee waiver,
which you may submit on Form I-912). You also need to pay a biometric
services fee. If you cannot pay the biometric services fee, you may ask
USCIS to waive the fee. Please see additional information under the
``Biometric Services Fee'' section of this notice.
TPS beneficiaries are eligible for an EAD, which proves they are
authorized to work in the United States. You do not need to submit Form
I-765 or have an EAD to be granted TPS, but if you want an EAD to use
as proof that you can work in the United States, see below for more
information.
For more information on the application forms and fees for TPS,
please visit the USCIS TPS web page at <a href="https://www.uscis.gov/tps">https://www.uscis.gov/tps</a>. Fees
for the Form I-821, the Form I-765, and biometric services are also
described in 8 CFR 106.2 and the fee waiver-related regulations in 8
CFR 106.3. In addition, USCIS Form G-1055, Fee Schedule, provides the
current fees required for the Form I-821 and Form I-765 for TPS
applicants.
How can TPS beneficiaries obtain an Employment Authorization Document
(EAD)?
Everyone must provide their employer with documentation showing
that they have the legal right to work in the United States. TPS
beneficiaries are eligible to obtain an EAD, which proves their legal
right to work. If you want to obtain an EAD, you must file Form I-765
and pay the Form I-765 fee (or request a fee waiver, which you may
submit on Form I-912). TPS applicants may file this form along with
their TPS application, or at a later date, if their TPS application is
still pending or has been approved.
Refiling an Initial TPS Registration Application After Receiving a
Denial of a fee Waiver Request
If USCIS denies your fee waiver request, you can resubmit your TPS
application. The fee waiver denial notice will contain specific
instructions about resubmitting your application.
Filing Information
USCIS offers the option to applicants for TPS under Lebanon's
designation to file Form I-821 and related requests for EADs online or
by mail. However, if you file Form I-912, Request for Fee Waiver or a
written fee waiver request for your Form I-821 or any applications
filed together with your Form I-821, you must submit your applications
by mail. When filing a TPS application, you can also request an EAD by
submitting a completed Form I-765 with your Form I-821. Under certain
circumstances, you may also upload a completed Form I-765 with a fee or
fee waiver request, in Portable Document Format (PDF) through your
USCIS online account. More information about filing your Form I-765 and
fee waiver request through a PDF upload is available at <a href="https://www.uscis.gov/newsroom/stakeholder-messages/uscis-launches-online-pdf-filing-option">https://www.uscis.gov/newsroom/stakeholder-messages/uscis-launches-online-pdf-filing-option</a>.
Online filing: Form I-821 and Form I-765 are available for
concurrent filing online.\42\ To file these forms online, you must
first create a USCIS online account.\43\
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\42\ Find information about online filing at ``Forms Available
to File Online,'' <a href="https://www.uscis.gov/file-online/forms-available-to-file-online">https://www.uscis.gov/file-online/forms-available-to-file-online</a>.
\43\ <a href="https://myaccount.uscis.gov/users/sign_up">https://myaccount.uscis.gov/users/sign_up</a>.
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PDF upload: Form I-765, if applicable, and Form I-912, if
applicable, are available for PDF upload. To upload these documents,
you must first create a USCIS online account.\44\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\44\ <a href="https://www.uscis.gov/newsroom/stakeholder-messages/uscis-launches-online-pdf-filing-option">https://www.uscis.gov/newsroom/stakeholder-messages/uscis-launches-online-pdf-filing-option</a>. Sign up to create a new USCIS
online account at <a href="https://myaccount.uscis.gov/users/sign_up">https://myaccount.uscis.gov/users/sign_up</a>.
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Mail filing: Mail your completed Form I-821; Form I-765, if
applicable; Form I-912, if applicable; and supporting documentation to
the proper address in Table 1--Mailing Addresses.
Table 1--Mailing Addresses
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Then, mail your application
If you send your paper application via: to:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
U.S. Postal Service USPS: USCIS
Attn: TPS Lebanon, P.O. Box
6943, Chicago, IL 60680-
6943.
FedEx, UPS, or DHL deliveries: USCIS
Attn: TPS Lebanon (Box
6943), 131 S. Dearborn St.
3rd Floor, Chicago, IL
60603-5517.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
If you were granted TPS by an immigration judge (IJ) or the Board
of Immigration Appeals (BIA) and you want to request an EAD, you may
submit Form I-765 one of three ways: online, mail your Form I-765 to
the appropriate address in table 1, or upload a completed PDF through
your USCIS online account. If you file online, you must include the
fee. If you file by mail, you must include the fee or fee waiver
request. If you file by PDF upload, you must include the fee or a fee
waiver request. When you request an EAD based on an IJ or BIA grant of
TPS, include with your application a copy of the order from the IJ or
BIA granting you TPS. This will help us verify your grant of TPS and
process your application.
Supporting Documents
The filing instructions for Form I-821 list all the documents you
need to establish eligibility for TPS. You may
[[Page 93646]]
also find information on the acceptable documentation and other
requirements for applying (also called registering) for TPS on the
USCIS website at <a href="https://uscis.gov/tps">https://uscis.gov/tps</a> under ``Lebanon.''
Travel
TPS beneficiaries and TPS applicants with pending Form I-821
applications may also apply for travel authorization, which USCIS may
grant as a matter of discretion. You must file for travel authorization
if you wish to travel outside of the United States. If USCIS grants
travel authorization, it gives you permission to leave the United
States and return during a specific period. To request travel
authorization, you must file Form I-131, available at <a href="https://www.uscis.gov/i-131">https://www.uscis.gov/i-131</a>. You may file Form I-131 together with your Form I-
821 or separately.
When you file Form I-131, a TPS beneficiary must:
<bullet> Select Item Number 4 in Part 1 on the Form I-131; and
<bullet> Submit the fee for Form I-131, or request a fee waiver,
which you may submit on Form I-912.
When you file Form I-131, a TPS applicant with a pending Form I-821
must:
<bullet> Select Item Number 5C in Part 1 on the Form I-131; and
<bullet> Submit the fee for Form I-131, or request a fee waiver,
which you may submit on Form I-912.
If you are filing Form I-131 together with Form I-821, send your
forms to the address listed in table 1. If you are filing Form I-131
separately based on a pending or approved Form I-821, send your form to
the address listed in table 2 and include a copy of Form I-797, Notice
of Action, or Form I-797C, Notice of Action, indicating either approval
or receipt of Form I-821. Form I-131 may not be filed by PDF upload.
Table 2--Mailing Addresses
------------------------------------------------------------------------
If you are . . . Mail to . . .
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Filing Form I-131 together with a Form The address provided in table
I-821. 1.
Filing Form I-131 based on a pending or USCIS, Attn: I-131 TPS, P.O.
approved Form I-821, and you are using Box 660167, Dallas, TX 75266-
the U.S. Postal Service (USPS): You 0867.
must include a copy of the Notice of
Action (Form I-797C or I-797) showing
USCIS received or approved your Form I-
821.
Filing Form I-131 based on a pending or USCIS, Attn: I-131 TPS, 2501 S.
approved Form I-821, and you are using State Hwy. 121 Business, Ste.
FedEx, UPS, or DHL: 400, Lewisville, TX 75067.
You must include a copy of the Notice
of Action (Form I-797C or Form I-797)
showing USCIS received or approved
your Form I-821.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Biometric Services Fee for TPS
Biometrics (such as fingerprints) are required for all applicants,
in addition to a biometric services fee. As previously stated, if you
cannot pay the biometric services fee, you may request a fee waiver,
which you may submit on Form I-912. For more information on the
application forms and fees for TPS, please visit the USCIS TPS web page
at <a href="https://uscis.gov/tps">https://uscis.gov/tps</a>. USCIS may require you to visit an Application
Support Center to have your biometrics collected. For additional
information on the USCIS biometric screening process, please see the
USCIS Customer Profile Management Service Privacy Impact Assessment,
available at <a href="https://www.dhs.gov/publication/dhsuscispia-060-customer-profile-management-service-cpms">https://www.dhs.gov/publication/dhsuscispia-060-customer-profile-management-service-cpms</a>.
General Employment-Related Information for TPS Applicants and Their
Employers
How can I obtain information on the status of my TPS application and
EAD request?
To get case status information about your TPS application, as well
as the status of your TPS-based EAD request, you can check Case Status
Online at <a href="http://uscis.gov">uscis.gov</a> or visit the USCIS Contact Center at <a href="https://uscis.gov/contactcenter">https://uscis.gov/contactcenter</a>. If you still need assistance, you may ask a
question about your case online at <a href="https://egov.uscis.gov/e-request/Intro.do">https://egov.uscis.gov/e-request/Intro.do</a> or call the USCIS Contact Center at 800-375-5283 (TTY 800-767-
1833).
When hired, what documentation may I show my employer as evidence of
identity and employment authorization to complete Form I-9?
You can find the Lists of Acceptable Documents on Form I-9,
Employment Eligibility Verification, as well as on the Acceptable
Documents web page at <a href="https://uscis.gov/i-9-central/acceptable-documents">https://uscis.gov/i-9-central/acceptable-documents</a>. Employers must complete Form I-9 to verify the identity and
employment authorization of all new employees. Within three business
days of hire, employees must present acceptable documents to their
employers as evidence of identity and employment authorization to
satisfy Form I-9 requirements.
You may present one selection from List A (which provides evidence
of both identity and employment authorization) or one selection from
List B (which provides evidence of your identity) together with one
selection from List C (which provides evidence of employment
authorization), or you may present an acceptable receipt as described
in these lists. Employers may not reject a document based on a future
expiration date. You can find additional information about Form I-9 on
the I-9 Central web page at <a href="https://www.uscis.gov/I-9Central">https://www.uscis.gov/I-9Central</a>. An EAD is
an acceptable document under List A.
If I have an EAD based on another immigration status, can I obtain a
new TPS-based EAD?
Yes, if you are eligible for TPS, you can obtain a new TPS-based
EAD, even if you already have an EAD or work authorization based on
another immigration status. If you want to obtain a new TPS-based EAD
valid through May 27, 2026, you must file Form I-765 and pay the
associated fee (unless USCIS grants your fee waiver request).
Can my employer require that I provide any other documentation to
complete Form I-9, such as evidence of my status, proof of my Lebanese
citizenship, or a Form I-797 showing that I registered for TPS?
No. When completing Form I-9, employers must accept any
documentation you choose to present from the Form I-9 Lists of
Acceptable Documents that reasonably appears to be genuine and that
relates to you, or an acceptable List A, List B, or List C receipt.
Employers may not request proof of Lebanese citizenship or proof of
registration for TPS when completing Form I-9 for new hires or
reverifying the employment authorization of current employees. Refer to
the ``Note to Employees'' section of this Federal
[[Page 93647]]
Register notice for important information about your rights if your
employer rejects lawful documentation, requires additional
documentation, or otherwise discriminates against you based on your
citizenship or immigration status, or your national origin.
Note to All Employers
Employers are reminded that the laws requiring proper employment
eligibility verification and prohibiting unfair immigration-related
employment practices remain in full force. This Federal Register notice
does not supersede or in any way limit applicable employment
verification rules and policy guidance, including those rules setting
forth reverification requirements. For general questions about the
employment eligibility verification process, employers may call USCIS
at 888-464-4218 (TTY 877-875-6028) or email USCIS at
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#bbf282f8ded5cfc9dad7fbcec8d8d2c895dfd3c895dcd4cd"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="3a7303795f544e485b567a4f49595349145e5249145d554c">[email protected]</span></a>. USCIS accepts calls and emails in English,
Spanish and many other languages. For questions about avoiding
discrimination during the employment eligibility verification process
(Form I-9 and E-Verify), employers may call the U.S. Department of
Justice, Civil Rights Division, Immigrant and Employee Rights Section
(IER) Employer Hotline at 800-255-8155 (TTY 800-237-2515). IER offers
language interpretation in many languages. Employers may also email IER
at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#f2bbb7a0b28781969d98dc959d84"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="a8e1edfae8dddbccc7c286cfc7de">[email protected]</span></a> or get more information online at <a href="https://www.justice.gov/ier">https://www.justice.gov/ier</a>.
Note to Employees
For general questions about the employment eligibility verification
process, employees may call USCIS at 888-897-7781 (TTY 877-875-6028) or
email USCIS at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#f6bfdbcfb593988284979ab68385959f85d8929e85d8919980"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="074e2a3e4462697375666b477274646e7429636f7429606871">[email protected]</span></a>. USCIS accepts calls and emails
in English, Spanish and many other languages. Employees or job
applicants may also call the U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights
Division, Immigrant and Employee Rights Section (IER) Worker Hotline at
800-255-7688 (TTY 800-237-2515) for information regarding employment
discrimination based on citizenship, immigration status, or national
origin, including discrimination related to Form I-9 and E-Verify. The
IER Worker Hotline provides language interpretation in many languages.
To comply with the law, employers must accept any document or
combination of documents from the Lists of Acceptable Documents if the
documentation reasonably appears to be genuine and to relate to the
employee, or an acceptable List A, List B, or List C receipt as
described in these lists. Employers may not require extra or additional
documentation beyond what is required for Form I-9 completion. Further,
employers participating in E-Verify who receive an E-Verify case result
of ``Tentative Nonconfirmation'' (mismatch) must promptly inform
employees of the mismatch and give such employees an opportunity to
take action to contest the mismatch. A mismatch means that the
information entered into E-Verify from Form I-9 differs from records
available to DHS.
Employers may not terminate, suspend, delay training, withhold or
lower pay, or take any adverse action against an employee because of a
mismatch while the case is still pending with E-Verify. A Final
Nonconfirmation (FNC) case result occurs if E-Verify cannot confirm an
employee's employment eligibility. An employer may terminate employment
based on a case result of FNC. Work-authorized employees who receive an
FNC may call USCIS for assistance at 888-897-7781 (TTY 877-875-6028).
For more information about E-Verify-related discrimination or to report
an employer for discrimination in the E-Verify process based on
citizenship, immigration status, or national origin, contact IER's
Worker Hotline at 800-255-7688 (TTY 800-237-2515). Additional
information about proper nondiscriminatory Form I-9 and E-Verify
procedures is available on the IER website at <a href="https://www.justice.gov/ier">https://www.justice.gov/ier</a> and the USCIS and E-Verify websites at <a href="https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central">https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central</a> and <a href="https://www.e-verify.gov">https://www.e-verify.gov</a>.
Note Regarding Federal, State, and Local Government Agencies (Such as
Departments of Motor Vehicles)
For Federal purposes, individuals approved for TPS may show their
Form I-797, Notice of Action, indicating approval of their Form I-821
application, or may show their EAD with category code of A12 or C19 to
prove that they have TPS. However, while Federal Government agencies
must follow the guidelines laid out by the Federal Government, State
and local government agencies establish their own rules and guidelines
when granting certain benefits. Each state may have different laws,
requirements, and determinations about what documents you need to
provide to prove eligibility for certain benefits. Whether you are
applying for a Federal, State, or local government benefit, you may
need to provide the government agency with documents that show you are
a TPS beneficiary or applicant, show you are authorized to work based
on TPS or other status, or that may be used by DHS to determine if you
have TPS or another immigration status. Examples of such documents are:
<bullet> Your new EAD with a TPS category code of A12 or C19, even
if your country of birth noted on the EAD does not reflect the TPS-
designated country of Lebanon;
<bullet> Your Form I-94, Arrival/Departure Record;
<bullet> Your Form I-797, Notice of Action, reflecting approval of
your Form I-765; or
<bullet> Your Form I-797 or Form I-797C, Notice of Action,
reflecting approval or receipt of a current Form I-821, if you received
one from USCIS.
Check with the government agency requesting documentation about
which documents the agency will accept.
Some state and local government agencies use SAVE, <a href="https://www.uscis.gov/save">https://www.uscis.gov/save</a>, to confirm the current immigration status of
applicants for public benefits. SAVE can verify when an individual has
TPS or a pending TPS application based on the documents above. In most
cases, SAVE provides an automated electronic response to benefit-
granting agencies within seconds, but occasionally verification can be
delayed.
You can check the status of your SAVE verification by using
CaseCheck at <a href="https://www.uscis.gov/save/save-casecheck">https://www.uscis.gov/save/save-casecheck</a>. CaseCheck is a
free service that lets you follow the progress of your SAVE
verification case using your date of birth and one immigration
identifier number (such as your A-Number, USCIS number, or Form I-94
number) or Verification Case Number. If an agency has denied your
application based solely or in part on a SAVE response, the agency must
allow you to appeal the decision in accordance with the agency's
procedures. If the agency has received and acted on or will act on a
SAVE verification and you do not believe the SAVE response is correct,
the SAVE website, <a href="https://www.uscis.gov/save/for-benefit-applicants">https://www.uscis.gov/save/for-benefit-applicants</a>,
has detailed information on how to correct or update your immigration
record, make an appointment, or submit a written request to correct
records.
[FR Doc. 2024-27788 Filed 11-26-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 9111-97-P
</pre><script data-cfasync="false" src="/cdn-cgi/scripts/5c5dd728/cloudflare-static/email-decode.min.js"></script></body>
</html>Indexed from Federal Register on November 27, 2024.
This is legal information, not legal advice. Laws vary by jurisdiction and change frequently. Always verify current law with official sources and consult a licensed attorney in your jurisdiction for advice on your specific situation.