Temporary Protected Status, commonly known as TPS, was granted to about 5,000 West Africans in 2014 due to the outbreak of the Ebola virus. Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea have been noted as Ebola-free since 2016. The TPS designation was extended for 6 months in November 2016, but the designation ends on Sunday, May 21.
As of Sunday, May 21, 2017, persons from Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea will no longer have temporary protected status. If persons who had TPS had another status prior to TPS, they will revert to that prior status. If they did not have any status prior to TPS, they will revert to not having current legal status and will begin to accrue unlawful presence in the US unless they can or have obtained other legal immigration status.
The termination of TPS to these three countries will affect hundreds in Minnesota. If you are from one of these three countries and have TPS, please speak to an immigration attorney as soon as possible to best understand your situation and any possible options for you to stay in the United States. We encourage you to call our office at (612) 824-2244 to set up a time to meet with one of our immigration attorneys.
More information can be found at USCIS https://www.uscis.gov/news/alerts/uscis-reminds-beneficiaries-temporary-protected-status-guinea-liberia-and-sierra-leone-may-21-termination and MPR http://www.mprnews.org/story/2017/05/15/ebola-tps-status-termination