Citizenship & Immigration
TPS (Temporary Protected Status)
What does Temporary Protected Status (TPS) refer to?
The Secretary of Homeland Security may designate a foreign country to Temporary Protected Status (TPS) due to conditions in the country that may prevent nationals from returning safely, or in certain circumstances, in those that the country cannot handle the return of its nationals adequately. We could grant TPS:
Eligible nationals of some countries already in the United States.
Eligible persons without nationality whose last residence was in the designated country.
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To be eligible for TPS, you must:
Be a national of a country designated to TPS, or a person without nationality whose last habitual residence was in the designated country.
Submit your form during the initial enrollment or re-enrollment period, or meet late filing requirements during any extension of TPS designation for your country (If you are a first-time TPS applicant, see section How to File Late, Later).
You have been continuously physically present in the United States since the effective date of your country's most recent designation.
Have continuously resided in the United States since the date specific to your country. This law allows an exception to the continuous physical presence and continuous residence requirements for brief, casual, and innocent departures from the United States.
You may not be eligible for TPS (or keep your existing TPS) if:
You have been convicted of a crime or two or more misdemeanors committed in the United States.
You have been found inadmissible as an immigrant under the applicable grounds of section 212 (a) of the INA, including criminal grounds that cannot be waived and those related to security.
He is subject to any mandatory asylum veto. This includes, but is not limited to, participating in the persecution of another person or engaging in or inciting terrorist activities.
You do not meet the requirements for continuous physical presence and continuous residence in the United States.
You do not meet the TPS initial or late enrollment requirements.
You did not enroll in TPS without reasonable cause if we issued a TPS to you.