The Biden Administration will extend until December 2022 the TPS for countries such as El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Haiti.

WASHINGTON - The Administration of President Joe Biden extended Temporary Protected Status for citizens of Nicaragua, El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras and other countries, but did not designate them for a new TPS, implying that the protection applies only to people already enrolled in the program, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) reported Thursday.

A notification from DHS that will be published tomorrow in the official Federal Register indicated that TPS continues for that group of countries, including Sudan and Nepal, until December 31, 2022 .

The difference between the extension of TPS and the new designation of countries in the program is that the extension only covers foreigners already in the program, while a new designation would allow other people to apply for protection.

Cristina Morales, a member of the National Alliance, said that "this news only proves why we need permanent residency ."

"It is unfair to our families that we remain in limbo and ignorant of the policies that affect our lives," he added.

TPS is a program under which the US government designates countries where there are violent conflicts or natural disasters and therefore grants a temporary residence to its citizens who can stay and work in the United States.

The inclusion of countries in the TPS program does not require the intervention of Congress but responds to instructions from the Executive Power.

At the start of the Biden administration last January, there were some 319,000 TPS recipients and another 427,000 have become eligible for the program since then, thanks in large part to Venezuela's addition to the list.

El Salvador has 198,420 nationals covered by TPS, followed by Honduras with 60,350, Haiti with 40,865 and Nepal with 10,160.

The Biden administration included Venezuela among the countries designated for the program, and it is estimated that this extended the benefit to some 323,000 people in total, but the designation has not been granted to Guatemala.

At the beginning of August, the Biden government extended the registration period for citizens of Venezuela, and the Immigration Forum estimates that some 323,000 Venezuelans could request that protection.

The period to register and obtain TPS again for Haitians who are already enrolled in the program began on August 3 and will remain in effect until February 3, 2023, announced the Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

The Government extended the deadline for Venezuelans to request TPS from 6 months to 18 months . The period for the initial submission of TPS applications for Venezuelans is now extended until September 9, 2022.