The Department of Homeland Security is extending Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Somali nationals for another 18 months.

DHS Sec. Jeh Johnson announced the extension of TPS and the continued availability of  WORK PERMITS for eligible nationals of Somalia Monday.

TPS is a designation the Homeland Security Secretary may grant a foreign nation “due to conditions in the country that temporarily prevent the country’s nationals from returning safely, or in certain circumstances, where the country is unable to handle the return of its nationals adequately,” U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services explains.

There are three conditions a country may have for that distinction to be made including armed conflict, environmental disaster and “[o]ther extraordinary and temporary conditions.”

Somalia’s most recent designation date was in 2012.

The designation means a Somali national approved for TPS “cannot be detained by DHS on the basis of his or her immigration status in the United States.”

They are also eligible to apply for an Employment Authorization Document (EAD).

Somali nationals desiring to extend their TPS must apply between June 1 and July 31, 2015.

Their status will be valid through March 17, 2017. According to the announcement there is also the opportunity for Somali nationals who have not  already obtained TPS to apply for it now.