Temporary Protected Status
A recent change in policy in the Commonwealth will affect a number of our foreign-born students who are interested in pursuing a college education. Please share this message with others so that we can reach as many potential college students as possible in time for the Fall 2007 semester: I want to notify you that effective immediately, alien students with a grant of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) are no longer barred from establishing Virginia domicile for tuition purposes. The change in guidance comes after consultation with the Office of the Attorney General and special immigration counsel. TPS students who can show by clear and convincing evidence that they meet the normal standards for Virginia domicile should be charged the in-state tuition rate beginning in Fall 2007 and can be considered for other educational benefits reserved for Virginia domiciles. TPS students who are currently classified as out-of-state students may request reclassification, but reclassifications, if granted, shall not be retroactive. Please note that this change in guidance will be reflected in the next revision of the Domicile Guidelines. The Commonwealth of Virginia's Domicile Guidelines can be found at http://www.schev.edu/Students/VAdomicileguidelines.asp. This is very important information to disseminate, as it will perhaps allow a good number of our students from TPS countries to attend college this fall!!! Thanks for your help in getting the word out.
As background information, and as defined by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (www.uscis.gov):
Temporary Protective Status (TPS) is a temporary immigration status granted to eligible nationals of designated countries (or parts thereof). During the period for which a country has been designated for TPS, TPS beneficiaries may remain in the United States and may obtain work authorization. However, TPS does not lead to permanent resident status. When the Secretary terminates a TPS designation, beneficiaries revert to the same immigration status they maintained before TPS (unless that status had since expired or been terminated) or to any other status they may have acquired while registered for TPS. Accordingly, if an alien had unlawful status prior to receiving TPS and did not obtain any status during the TPS designation, the alien reverts to unlawful status upon the termination of that TPS designation. Countries which are currently designated for TPS include Burundi, El Salvador, Honduras, Liberia, Nicaragua, Somalia and Sudan. Each country has a different designation time period for expiration of its TPS status. Additional information on TPS, including individual expiration dates for each designated country, can be found at the following sites: Us Department of Justice and the US Citizenship and Immigration Services
Maricel Quintana-Baker, Ph.D. Senior Associate for Academic Affairs State Council of Higher Education for Virginia 101 North 14th Street, 9th Floor Richmond, VA 23219 Phone: 804-225-2612 Fax: 804-225-2604 MaricelQuintanaBaker@schev.edu