Liberian Refugee Immigration Fairness (LRIF)
Find more information on Temporary Protected Status and Deferred Enforced Departure.
Latest on LRIF
The LRIF program was extended for an additional year, through Dec. 20, 2021.
DED for Liberia has been extended through June 30, 2024. The eligibility requirements for DED have been expanded to include Liberians who have been continuously present in the United States since May 20, 2017. Details will be published in the Federal Register.
Additional information will be posted on this page and distributed through CLINIC’s Agency Updates email list as it becomes available. Sign up for CLINIC email lists here and check back on this page often.
What is Liberian Refugee Immigration Fairness?
On Dec. 20, 2019, Congress passed a new law that provides a path to lawful permanent resident, or LPR, status and citizenship for certain Liberians who have been living in the United States for years and eligible spouses and children. Many Liberians have been protected from deportation under Temporary Protected Status, or TPS, and/or DED, due to unsafe country conditions preventing them from safely returning. Since first announced by President Bush in 2007, DED for Liberia has been extended by all subsequent administrations until the Trump administration announced its termination in 2019.
While the 2019 law, which was included in the National Defense Authorization Act, provided a brief, one-year window for eligible applicants to apply for a green card and become LPRs, that deadline was subsequently extended for an additional year. For details about the eligibility requirements for Liberians and their qualifying spouses and children as well as how to apply for LRIF, consult CLINIC’s Liberian Refugee Immigration Fairness: FAQs for Legal Practitioners. Applications must be filed by the Dec. 20, 2021, deadline.
CLINIC strongly encourages all potential applicants to seek qualified legal guidance before submitting an application to USCIS. Note that you may need to obtain identity documents from a local Liberian consulate for your application.
RESOURCES
DHS and DOJ Forms and Policy Guidance
Practitioner Resources
- Liberian Refugee Immigration Fairness: FAQs for Legal Practitioners
- New Immigration Relief for Certain Liberians Checklist
- Stopping Immigration Services Scams: A Tool for Advocates and Lawmakers
- Representing Clients under Liberian Refugee Immigrant Fairness and Strategies for Effective Advocacy Webinar (4/30/20)
Outreach to the Administration
- LRIF Strategy Group Joint Public Comment on USCIS Barriers
- LRIF Strategy Group Recommendations to Biden Administration on LRIF Policy and Implementation
- LRIF Strategy Group Transition Recommendations
- Recommendations on Implementation of Liberian Refugee Immigration Fairness (LRIF)
- Liberian Refugee Immigration Fairness Policy Manual Update Organizational Comment
- CLINIC Comments on USCIS Policy Manual regarding Liberian Refugee Immigration Fairness
- NGO LRIF Recommendations Letter to USCIS
- Recommendations to CIS Ombudsman Regarding LRIF Implementation
