U.S. gov confirms PH’s TPS request forwarded to DHS

By Don Tagala, ABS-CBN North America Bureau

Mar. 20, 2014

NEW YORK – The much-awaited immigration relief measure for Filipinos has progressed within the U.S. government.

Today, Balitang Amreica has officially confirmed with the U.S. State Department that the Philippines’ request for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) is now in the hands of the Department of Homeland Security or DHS.

In an email to Balitang America, Pooja Jhunjhunwala, a U.S. State Department spokesperson said that Secretary of State John Kery has communicated his views on TPS to the DHS.

“We are unable to provide details on the correspondence between Secretary Kerry and the Department of Homeland Security in this matter,” Jhunjhunwala added.

The TPS request came after the central part of the Philippines was devastated by Typhoon Yolanda in November.

If the Philippines is granted TPS, Filipinos with expiring or expired visas will be allowed to legally stay and work in the U.S. while the Philippines recovers from the calamity.

For now, it is not determined when the DHS will make a decision on TPS. But advocates hope for a positive response in time for President Barack Obama’s visit to the Philippines in April.

You may contact Don Tagala at don_tagala@abs-cbn.com for more information.