Big Immigration Stories: Homeland Security to Refund $55 mil in Filing Fees, Temporary Protected Status Extended for 4 Countries, the Unknowns of Trump’s Immigration Plan

By:  Richard Hanus, Esq.

January 13, 2025

Parole In Place Refunds:   In recent months, more than 90,000 undocumented spouses and stepchildren of U.S. citizens applied for a special “parole in place” status pursuant to the Biden administration’s “Keeping Families Together” program. Under this program, eligible applicants paid a $580.00 filing fee to be allowed to have their permanent resident status process completed in the U.S. and without having to face the current requirement of returning to their home country.  Not long after its implementation, however, the program was challenged in federal court and eventually struck down, prompting immigration officials to order the refund of $55 million in application fees collected.

According to last week’s U.S. Department of Homeland Security press release, applicants can soon expect to receive a full refund of their filing fees, although the exact timing of the refunds was not specified.

TPS Extended for Venezuela, Sudan, Ukraine and El Salvador:  Temporary Protected Status or “TPS” is a special immigration status our executive branch may grant to foreign nationals of a designated nation who are present in the U.S., whether documented or not, if that nation is struggling with a civil war, natural disaster or other humanitarian challenges.  Last week the Biden administration announced an 18 month extension, through September 9, 2026, of Temporary Protected Status (including employment authorization) for almost 1 million citizens of Venezuela, Sudan, Ukraine and El Salvador who have been residing in the U.S. after previously being granted TPS.    Whether the incoming Trump Administration will leave in place these and other TPS designations is a big question.

Trump and the Immigration Unknowns: Much has been written and spoken about in the media as of late regarding what our nation’s immigration enforcement and policy picture will look like after Trump takes office in a week.  In the meantime, a parade of “experts” have taken to telling the world what they think Trump’s approach to U.S. immigration will be and the steps vulnerable foreign nationals and businesses should take to prepare.  My advice generally has been to consider the range of possibilities and eventualities, but not act until actual facts and policies are at play.  Of course after Trump takes office, we will have a clearer sense of the landscape and be in a position to do more than guess or hope.  In the meantime, vulnerable parties will be best served by taking a “wait and see” approach and of course, not acting out of panic or despair.

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PUBLISHED January 13, 2025 – “IMMIGRATION LAW FORUM” Copyright © 2025, By Law Offices of Richard Hanus, Chicago, Illinois

By |2025-01-15T08:25:49-06:00January 13th, 2025|Categories: DHS / Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)|
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