U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) recently issued a Federal Register notice. It includes information on how to apply for employment authorization for eligible Hong Kong residents. This is covered under the president’s Aug. 5, 2021 memorandum directing Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) for 18 months, through Feb. 5, 2023.
DED for Hong Kong residents applies only to certain eligible Hong Kong residents who were present in the United States as of Aug. 5, 2021. The residents must have continuously resided here since that date. They must meet other eligibility criteria described in the president’s memorandum. For purposes of this DED policy, Hong Kong residents are individuals of any nationality, or without nationality, who have met the requirements and been issued a Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) passport, a British National Overseas passport, a British Overseas Citizen passport, a Hong Kong Permanent Identity Card, or an HKSAR Document of Identity for Visa Purposes. There is no application for DED. Eligible Hong Kong residents covered by the president’s DED memorandum may also receive travel authorization. Individuals must file an application for advance parole if they wish to travel based on DED.
The immigration attorneys at Heiferman & Associates are here to assist with DED. We also assist with TPS applications (for countries such as Venezuela, Haiti, El Salvador, Honduras, Nepal, Nicaragua and Sudan). Our immigration lawyers also assist clients with applying for most visas, green cards and citizenship. We defend clients in Immigration Court and with appeals. We are available by appointment, Zoom, Teams, Google and more. Please contact us today at (718) 888-9545 to schedule an initial consultation.