Deferred Enforced Departure Wind-Down Period for Eligible Liberians Extended through Jan. 10, 2021

In an effort to prevent a lapse in employment authorizations for certain Liberians in the United States, on March 30, 2020, President Donald Trump issued a memorandum directing Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Acting Secretary Chad Wolf to extend the deferred enforced departure (DED) wind-down period for eligible Liberians through Jan. 10, 2021. This extension will facilitate uninterrupted work authorization for those currently in the United States under DED who are eligible to apply for lawful permanent resident status under the Liberian Refugee Immigration Fairness provision. Eligible Liberian nationals have until December 20, 2020, to file for permanent resident status under the law. Aliens who are eligible for permanent resident status should submit their completed Form I-485 and associated Form I-765 as early as possible. USCIS will publish a notice in the Federal Register with information on the extension of employment authorization and automatic extension of certain employment authorization documents (EADs) through Jan. 10, 2021, for those Liberians currently covered under DED.

For more information on the Liberia DED wind-down extension, employers should visit the https://www.uscis.gov/humanitarian/deferred-enforced-departure/ded-granted-country-liberia on the USCIS website. Employers should revisit I-9 Central for updates on this extension as they become available.