DED (Deferred Enforced Departure) for Liberians

In 2007, President George W. Bush directed that Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) be provided for 18 months to certain Liberians in the United States whose Temporary Protected Status (TPS) was expiring on Sept. 30, 2007. President Bush further directed Homeland Security to issue procedures for granting work authorization to DED-covered Liberians. DED has continued to be extended for Liberians since that initial period and was set to expire on March 31, 2018.

On March 27, 2018, President Trump, after consulting relevant executive branch agencies, issued a memorandum directing Secretary Nielsen to begin a 12-month DED wind-down period and to provide for continued work authorization throughout the wind-down period. This 12-month transitional period of DED allows affected individuals to arrange for their departure from the United States, or seek an alternative lawful immigration status in the United States, if eligible, before DED ends on March 31, 2019.

For more information about DED, see the Deferred Enforced Departure page.

Employment Authorization

You are eligible for employment authorization under the 12-month transitional period if you:

  • Have continuously resided in the United States since Oct. 1, 2002; and
  • Are a current beneficiary under DED for Liberia.

Current Liberia DED-related EADs bearing a March 31, 2018, expiration date and an A-11 category will be automatically extended for 6 months until Sept. 30, 2018.

How to File for Employment Authorization

If you are covered under DED for Liberia and you want evidence of your employment authorization during the 12-month transitional period, you may apply for an Employment Authorization Document beginning March 30, 2018. To do this you must submit:

  • Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization, indicating that you were a beneficiary of Liberian TPS as of Sept. 30, 2007, and were covered by DED for Liberians on March 31, 2018, by putting “(a)(11)” in response to Question 20;
  • A copy of your last Form I-797, Notice of Action, showing you were approved for TPS as of Sept. 30, 2007; and
  • The Form I-765 filing fee (or a fee waiver request)

If biometrics are required to produce the secure EAD, we will notify you to schedule an appointment at a USCIS Application Support Center.

Where to mail your completed Form I-765:

If you are… Mail to…
Mailing your form through the U.S. Postal Service USCIS
Attn: DED Liberia
P.O. Box 6943
Chicago, IL  60680-6943
Using a non-U.S. Postal Service delivery service USCIS
Attn: DED Liberia
131 S. Dearborn 3rd Floor
Chicago, IL  60603-5517

Travel Outside the United States

You may be able to travel as a DED-Liberian beneficiary. To travel outside of the United States, you must file for advance parole using Form I-131, Application for Travel Document. If DHS grants your request, you will have permission to leave the United States and return during a specified period. Possession of an advance parole document does not guarantee that you will be permitted to re-enter the United States. That decision will be made by an immigration officer at the port of entry upon your return.

If you leave the United States without first receiving advance parole, you may no longer be eligible for DED and may not be permitted to re-enter the United States. Additionally, if you return to Liberia (even with advance parole), you may be considered as voluntarily returning to Liberia, and therefore no longer eligible for DED.

 

NOTE: Source is the USCIS.gov Last Reviewed/Updated: