Philippine President Benigno Aquino formally requested the US government to designate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for undocumented Filipino nationals in light of the devastation caused by Supertyphoon “Yolanda” (international name: Haiyan).
Aquino’s action was officially conveyed on Dec. 13 by Philippine Ambassador Jose L. Cuisa Jr. to Rand Beers, acting Secretary of the US Department of Homeland Security, which highlights the “intense desire of the Filipino-American community to more effectively assist victims,” and “additional immigration relief measures to allow eligible Filipinos to stay and work in the United States so they could support the country’s long-term post-typhoon recovery efforts.”
This early, the Philippine government is confident the Obama administration will be favorable to granting TPS.
TPS is primarily humanitarian.
According to JT Mallonga, president of the Filipino American Legal Defense and Education Fund (Faldef), TPS will provide temporary immigration relief to undocumented Filipino immigrants currently residing in the US.
It is currently allowed under immigration laws for countries impacted by a natural disaster resulting in a “substantial, but temporary, disruption of living conditions.”
Previously, the US government granted TPS to Haitians following the devastating earthquake which struck Haiti two years ago, allowing them to continue living and working in the country for 18 months. Other nationals from countries devastated by natural disasters, such as Honduras, Sudan and El Salvador, have also been granted TPS before.
However, Mallonga who is also a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association said that “--while TPS provides temporary legal status for Filipinos already in the US, it will not necessarily lead to permanent residency. Also, TPS does not provide humanitarian aid or legal status for people not already (in the US).
“TPS may only be granted for 18 months. Beneficiaries will be granted a temporary employment authorization document as proof of authorized stay in the US for that period. Qualified TPS applicants will then be allowed to remain in the US with a work permit. This is only meant to be a temporary immigration benefit.”
If approved, TPS will benefit an estimated 270,000 undocumented Filipino immigrants in US.--Source: Inquirer