Applications for Liberian Refugee
Immigration Fairness (LIRF): Fact Sheet
August 19, 2020
Congressional Research Service
https://crsreports.congress.gov
R46487
Applications for Liberian Refugee Immigration Fairness (LIRF): Fact Sheet
ver the years, Congress has passed legislation to provide access to lawful permanent
resident (LPR) status to certain groups of foreign nationals living in the United States
O without permanent status. The 116th Congress passed a measure of this type entitled
Liberian Refugee Immigration Fairness (LRIF). LRIF provides an opportunity for Liberians who
have been continuously present in the United States since November 2014 and their family
members to obtain LPR status.1 Enacted as part of the FY2020 National Defense Authorization
Act (P.L. 116-92, §7611), it gives individuals until December 20, 2020, to apply for LPR status.
This fact sheet presents data on applications received by the Department of Homeland Security’s
(DHS’s) U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) under LRIF during the first four
months of the application period. It wil be updated as application data covering the remainder of
the application period are made available.
Background
Under a series of executive branch actions beginning in 1991, certain groups of Liberians have
been al owed to live and work in the United States regardless of whether they have a lawful
immigration status. Liberians in the United States first received temporary protected status (TPS)
in March 1991 following the outbreak of civil war in their home country. TPS is a statutory form
of temporary immigration relief for individuals from countries experiencing armed conflict,
natural disaster, or extraordinary conditions that prevent their safe return.2 Since the 1991 TPS
designation, certain Liberians in the United States have been covered by TPS or by deferred
enforced departure (DED), another form of blanket immigration relief.3 The most recent TPS
designation for Liberia ended on May 17, 2017, and a long-running DED designation was set to
expire on March 30, 2020, but President Trump delayed the effective date of its expiration (to
January 10, 2021) in order to provide continuous employment authorization to Liberians eligible
to adjust their status under the recently enacted legislation.
Beginning with the 105th Congress, bil s to provide LPR status to Liberians have been introduced
by every Congress but have not been enacted. In December 2019, Congress passed LRIF (in P.L.
116-92, §7611), providing Liberians an opportunity to obtain LPR status and citizenship if they
had been living in the United States since November 20, 2014, and had not been convicted of
certain crimes.4 LRIF applies to Liberian nationals who have been living in the United States
since this date regardless of whether they had been covered by TPS or DED.
1 T he spouse, unmarried child under 21, or unmarried son or daughter 21 years old or older of a Liberian national who
meets the requirements of LRIF and has applied for lawful permanent residence based on LRIF is also eligible to apply
for LRIF.
2 Under INA Section 244 (8 U.S.C. §1254a), the Secretary of Homeland Security may designate a country for T PS for
periods of 6, 12, or 18 months and may subsequently extend the designation if conditions continue to be met. Nationals
of a designated country living in the United States may apply for T PS, which provides temporary protection from
removal and work authorization. For more information, see CRS Report RS20844, Tem porary Protected Status:
Overview and Current Issues.
3 DED is a temporary, discretionary, administrative stay of removal granted to aliens from designated countries. Unlike
T PS, a DED designation emanates from the President’s constitutional powers to conduct foreign relations and has no
statutory basis.
4 T his was the date by which Liberians had to have been present in the United States to qualify for its most recent T PS
designation (related to the Ebola epidemic). Individuals who have been convicted of an aggravated felony, two or more
crimes involving moral turpitude, or who have participated in the persecution of others are ineligible for LRIF.
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LRIF Applications
To be eligible for LPR status under LRIF, applicants must complete and file Form I-485,
Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status, by December 20, 2020, which is
one year since LRIF was enacted. According to data provided to the Congressional Research
Service (CRS) by USCIS, it had received 1,226 LRIF applications as of April 17, 2020, four
months into the program.5 At that time, al of the applications received were stil being processed
(i.e., none had been adjudicated). The data provided to CRS did not indicate how many had
applied as Liberians who entered before November 2014 or had applied as their family members.
Age and Sex of Applicants
The median age of applicants was 46. Almost half (47%) were aged 45–64, and an additional
38% were aged 19–44. Seven percent were 18 or younger, and 8% were 65 or older. Fifty-eight
percent were female and 42% were male.
State of Residence of Applicants
As of April 17, 2020, USCIS had received LRIF applications from residents of 36 states.
Minnesota accounted for the most applicants (214), followed by Pennsylvania (188), Maryland
(109), and New Jersey (96). (See Table 1 and Figure 1.)
Table 1. State of Residence of Applicants for Liberian Refugee Immigration Fairness
Applications received as of April 17, 2020
State
Applications
State
Applications
Alabama
3
Montana
0
Alaska
0
Nebraska
0
Arizona
4
Nevada
1
Arkansas
2
New Hampshire
0
California
18
New Jersey
96
Colorado
3
New Mexico
0
Connecticut
2
New York
67
Delaware
22
North Carolina
76
District of Columbia
0
North Dakota
25
Florida
9
Ohio
18
Georgia
67
Oklahoma
2
Hawai
0
Oregon
0
Idaho
1
Pennsylvania
188
Il inois
9
Rhode Island
46
Indiana
12
South Carolina
4
5 One-third of applications were received in each of February and March 2020. T wenty percent were received in
January 2020, 10% were received in the first half of April 2020 (through April 17), and three applications were
received in December 2019.
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Applications for Liberian Refugee Immigration Fairness (LIRF): Fact Sheet
State
Applications
State
Applications
Iowa
10
South Dakota
5
Kansas
0
Tennessee
7
Kentucky
7
Texas
53
Louisiana
1
Utah
4
Maine
0
Vermont
0
Maryland
109
Virginia
25
Massachusetts
39
Washington
6
Michigan
15
West Virginia
0
Minnesota
214
Wisconsin
0
Mississippi
0
Wyoming
0
Missouri
2
Total
1,226
Source: CRS analysis of data provided by Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration
Services.
Figure 1. State of Residence of Applicants for Liberian Refugee Immigration Fairness
Applications received as of April 17, 2020
Source: CRS analysis of data provided by Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration
Services.
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Applications for Liberian Refugee Immigration Fairness (LIRF): Fact Sheet
Author Information
Jill H. Wilson
Analyst in Immigration Policy
Disclaimer
This document was prepared by the Congressional Research Service (CRS). CRS serves as nonpartisan
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under the direction of Congress. Information in a CRS Report should n ot be relied upon for purposes other
than public understanding of information that has been provided by CRS to Members of Congress in
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