Temporary Protected Status (TPS)
What You Need to Know
Temporary Protected Status (TPS) is a form of humanitarian relief that helps foreign nationals in the US who may not qualify for asylum but are fleeing or reluctant to return to potentially dangerous situations. The Secretary of Homeland Security designates countries when conditions temporarily prevent nationals from returning safely, or when a country cannot handle the return of its nationals.
Currently Designated TPS Countries
- Afghanistan, Cameroon, El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, Myanmar, Nepal, Nicaragua, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Ukraine, Venezuela, Yemen
TPS Requirements
To be eligible, you must meet all of the following:
- National of a designated TPS country (or, if stateless, last habitually resided in a designated country)
- Filed during the initial open registration or re-registration period, or meet late initial filing requirements
- Continuously physically present in the US since the effective date of the most recent designation
- Continuously resided in the US since the country's specified date
- Brief, casual, and innocent departures from the US are permitted; you must inform USCIS of any absences
Disqualified If You:
- Have a felony conviction or two or more misdemeanor convictions in the US
- Are found inadmissible under applicable grounds in INA § 212(a)
- Are subject to mandatory bars to asylum (persecution of others, engaging or inciting terrorist activity)
- Fail to meet continuous physical presence and residence requirements
- Fail to register or re-register for TPS as required without good cause
TPS Registration — Required Documents
- Form I-821 (Application for TPS) and optionally Form I-765 (Request for Employment Authorization)
- Identity and nationality evidence: passport copy, birth certificate with photo ID, or national identity document
- Date of entry evidence: passport copy, I-94, or continuous residence documents
- Continuous residence evidence: rent receipts, employment records, utility bills, school records, hospital or medical records, church or organization attestations
Our firm works very closely with every client, so you will be kept up to date on everything that is happening with your case. Call (213) 388-1821 or contact us online to schedule a consultation with our Los Angeles TPS attorney.