U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) reported today that it has sent approximately 4,500 provisional Employment Authorization Documents to Salvadorans under Temporary Protected Status (TPS) while their applications for TPS re-registration are processed and a final decision is made.
Beneficiaries must receive the provisional documents no later than Wednesday, March 9, 2011.
The issuance of these interim documents will allow TPS beneficiaries to continue working while USCIS processes their re-registration applications. Originally, these work permits for Salvadorans had an expiration date of September 9, 2010. When USCIS approved the extension of TPS for Salvadorans in July 2010, it automatically extended the validity of the employment documents until March 9, 2011.
More than 208,000 Salvadoran re-registration applications have already been processed for the TPS period that will end on March 9, 2012. If any applicant receives a notice from USCIS requesting additional information about their case, they must respond promptly within the timeframe stipulated in the letter in order to keep their employment authorization valid through 2012.
Please note that any Salvadoran who receives a provisional document must respond to any USCIS request for additional evidence, including requests for documents or appointments for biometrics or fingerprints.
Applicants can check the status of their case by visiting the USCIS website, www.uscis.gov/espanol. You can also call the Customer Service Center toll-free at 1-800-375-5283.
For those eligible Salvadorans who have an expired work permit and have not received a provisional one, the Embassy of El Salvador in the United States and its consulates around the country are offering free assistance with their cases.
English 
Español