The Bush administration has decided to allow nationals from El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua living in the United States as temporary residents to stay for one more year.
The Department of Homeland Security says extending Temporary Protected Status to about 300,000 Central Americans is part of an effort to help those countries recover from recent hurricanes and other natural disasters.
Details on the program are expected to be announced soon.
Salvadoran President Elias Antonio Saca thanked the White House for the extension Thursday during a visit to Miami.
Mr. Saca will be in Washington Friday for a White House meeting with President Bush.
President Saca says he will ask Mr. Bush to reform U.S. immigration laws.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.