U.S. Immigration Benefits Extended to Nationals of Countries Battling Ebola

The agency overseeing immigration to the United States announced new immigration relief measures to nationals of the countries battling Ebola who are living in the United States.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Friday announced that immigrants from Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone currently in the United States are eligible for a number of immigration benefits in the wake of the ongoing Ebola epidemic in their home countries. 

According to USCIS, if requested, benefits for such immigrants include:

• Change or extension of nonimmigrant status for an individual currently in the United States, even if the request is filed after the authorized period of admission has expired;

• Extension of certain grants of parole made by USCIS;

• Expedited adjudication and approval, where possible, of requests for off-campus employment authorization for F-1 students experiencing severe economic hardship;

• Expedited processing of immigrant petitions for immediate relatives (currently in the United States) of U.S. citizens;

• Expedited adjudication of employment authorization applications, where appropriate; and

• Consideration for waiver of fees associated with USCIS benefit applications.

To date, the Ebola outbreak has claimed more than 1,000 lives in West Africa. President Obama spoke with the leaders of Liberia and Sierra Leone Thursday about the ongoing epidemic.