DED Covered Country - Liberia
ALERT: President Biden issued a Memorandum on Extending Eligibility for Deferred Enforced Departure for Liberians to the secretaries of state and homeland security that defers through June 30, 2026, the removal of certain Liberian nationals, or individuals without nationality who last habitually resided in Liberia, who were eligible for DED under the president’s 2022 memorandum, including individuals who have been continuously present in the United States since May 20, 2017.
In addition, President Biden continued through June 30, 2026, employment authorization for these individuals.
| Current DED Extended Through: | June 30, 2026 |
|---|---|
| DED Period: | Through June 30, 2026 |
| EADs Auto-Extended Through: | June 30, 2026 |
| Federal Register Notice Citation: | 89 FR 77885 |
In 2007, President George W. Bush directed that DED be provided for 18 months to certain Liberians (and individuals without nationality who last habitually resided in Liberia) in the United States whose Temporary Protected Status (TPS) was expiring on Sept. 30, 2007. President Bush further directed the secretary of homeland security to issue procedures for granting employment authorization to noncitizens covered under DED for Liberians. DED continued to be extended for eligible noncitizens covered under DED for Liberians from that initial period until March 31, 2018, when DED was again extended, but with a yearlong wind-down period scheduled to expire on March 31, 2019. On March 28, 2019, President Donald Trump extended the wind-down period through Jan. 10, 2021, to facilitate uninterrupted employment authorization for individuals covered under DED for Liberians who were eligible to apply for lawful permanent resident status under the Liberian Refugee Immigration Fairness (LRIF) provision.
On Jan. 20, 2021, President Joseph R. Biden issued a memorandum to the secretary of homeland security directing the secretary to reinstate DED for eligible Liberians, or individuals without nationality who last habitually resided in Liberia, and to provide for continued work authorization through June 30, 2022. Eligible Liberian nationals covered under DED as of Jan. 10, 2021, were able to remain in the United States through June 30, 2022. This notice extended employment authorization through June 30, 2022, for Liberians covered under DED and also automatically extended DED-related Employment Authorization Documents (EADs) for those who already have an EAD with a printed expiration date of March 30, 2020, or Jan. 10, 2021. Reinstating DED for Liberia was intended to allow additional time for eligible Liberians to apply for adjustment of status on or before Dec. 20, 2021, under the extension of the LRIF provision.
On June 27, 2022, President Biden issued a memorandum to the secretaries of state and homeland security that extended and expanded DED for Liberians through June 30, 2024. The memorandum directed the deferral of the removal of any Liberian national, or individual without nationality who last habitually resided in Liberia, who is present in the United States and who was covered under DED as of June 30, 2022. It also deferred the removal of any Liberian national, or individual without nationality who last habitually resided in Liberia, who had been continuously physically present in the United States since May 20, 2017.
On June 28, 2024, President Biden issued a memorandum to the secretaries of state and homeland security extending through June 30, 2026, deferred removal for those Liberians already covered by DED under the 2022 memorandum. DED does not apply to:
- Individuals who would be ineligible for TPS for the reasons provided in section 244(c)(2)(B) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, 8 U.S.C. 1254a(c)(2)(B);
- Individuals seeking lawful permanent resident status under the LRIF provision whose applications were or are denied by the secretary of homeland security because they are ineligible for LRIF under sections 7611(b)(1)(C) and (b)(3) of the National Defense Authorization Act;
- Individuals whose removal the secretary of homeland security determines is in the interest of the United States, subject to the LRIF provision;
- Individuals whose presence or activities in the United States the secretary of state has reasonable grounds to believe would have potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences for the United States;
- Individuals who have voluntarily returned to Liberia or their country of last habitual residence outside the United States for an aggregate period of 180 days or more, as specified in subsection (c)(2) of the LRIF provision; or
- Individuals who are subject to extradition.
The memo extends employment authorization through June 30, 2026, for Liberians covered under DED. We are automatically extending the validity of DED-related EADs through June 30, 2026, for those who already have an EAD with a Card Expires date of March 30, 2020; Jan. 10, 2021; June 30, 2022; or June 30, 2024.
Employment Authorization
You are eligible for employment authorization under the additional DED period if you are a Liberian national, or individual without nationality who last habitually resided in Liberia, who does not fall within any of the categories of individuals excluded from DED under the terms of the president’s memorandum (see above), and you are present in the United States and are already covered under DED under the 2022 memorandum.
We are automatically extending through June 30, 2026, current Liberia DED-related EADs with a Card Expires date of March 30, 2020; Jan. 10, 2021; June 30, 2022; or June 30, 2024, and a Category of A11. You may present your EAD as evidence of identity and employment authorization for your Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification. You may show this webpage or the Federal Register notice to show that we have automatically extended your EAD through June 30, 2026.
How to File for an Employment Authorization ocument
If you remain eligible for DED, you can apply for and obtain a new EAD; however, you do not need to apply for a new EAD to benefit from this automatic EAD extension through June 30, 2026. If you are covered under DED for Liberians and you want to obtain a new DED-based EAD valid through June 30, 2026, then you must file Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization, indicating that you are covered and pay the associated fee (or request a fee waiver). Additional information is provided in the Federal Register notice.
How to Request Authorization to Travel Outside the United States
DHS may provide travel authorization as a discretionary benefit of DED for eligible Liberians. You must apply for travel authorization if you wish to travel outside of the United States temporarily. Travel authorization authorizes U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to allow you to return to the United States during a specified period. A CBP inspector will make the final decision on your reentry. If you leave the United States without first receiving travel authorization, you may no longer be eligible for DED and may not be allowed to reenter the United States.
To request travel authorization, you must file Form I-131, Application for Travel Documents, Parole Documents, and Arrival/Departure Records, and pay the associated fee. The filing instructions on Form I-131 include all the documents you will need to send us. You may also find information about acceptable documentation and DED eligibility on our Deferred Enforced Departure page.
You may file Form I-765 and Form I-131 together or separately.
| If you are... | Mail to... |
|---|---|
| Mailing your form through the U.S. Postal Service | USCIS Attn: DED Liberia P.O. Box 805283 Chicago, IL 60680-5283 |
| Using FedEx, UPS, or DHL | USCIS Attn: DED Liberia (Box 805283) 131 S. Dearborn St. 3rd Floor Chicago, IL 60603-5517 |
Related Links
Forms
- I-765, Application for Employment Authorization
- I-131, Application for Travel Documents, Parole Documents, and Arrival/Departure Records
Tools
Other USCIS Links
Non-USCIS Links