Everyone has heard about the Ebola virus. Immigration did take some steps to allow people to stay in the United States longer if you are from one of the three countries in West Africa. Those three countries are Guinea, Liberia, or Sierra Leone. This relief was issued back on August 15th. If you are a national of one of these three countries, then you have a right to these benefits:
- Change or extension of nonimmigrant status for an individual currently in the United States, even if the request is filed after the authorized period of admission has expired;
- Extension of certain grants of parole made by USCIS;
- Expedited adjudication and approval, where possible, of requests for off-campus employment authorization for F-1 students experiencing severe economic hardship;
- Expedited processing of immigrant petitions for immediate relatives (currently in the United States) of U.S. citizens;
- Expedited adjudication of employment authorization applications, where appropriate; and
- Consideration for waiver of fees associated with USCIS benefit applications.
This form of relief is not a temporary protective status which grants employment authorization. You would have to eligible for employment through other means. For this or any other immigration issue you may have, feel free to contact Bailey and Galyen.