Temporary Protective Status (TPS) is a type of temporary relief given to citizens of a foreign country. The Secretary of Homeland Security designates which countries qualify for this relief.
The Secretary designates countries for TPS if that country has conditions which temporarily prevent a country’s nationals from returning safely to their home country. The Secretary generally designates countries that have ongoing armed conflict inside their country, environmental disaster or an epidemic, or any other extraordinary and temporary conditions.
TPS is a temporary status which is only designated for 18-month periods, but those periods can be renewed or redesignated by the Secretary before the expiration period if the qualifying foreign country’s conditions have not improved.
Only foreign nationals who are already inside the United States by the designated date can benefit from TPS. The countries currently designated for TPS are Venezuela, Ukraine, Haiti, El Salvador, Honduras, Afghanistan, Burma (Myanmar), Cameroon, Ethiopia, Nepal, Nicaragua, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Yemen. Many of these countries are constantly redesignated which may allow new foreign nationals to apply for TPS.
To be eligible for TPS, you must:
Be a national of a country designated for TPS, or a person without nationality who last habitually resided in the designated country;
Have been continuously physically present in the United States since the effective date of the most recent designation date of your country;
Have been continuously residing in the United States since the date specified for your country;
You MUST file your application within the time period allowed for initial registration or re-registration (for current TPS holders)
You can visit this website to learn more about the qualifying factors for your country’s TPS designation: https://www.uscis.gov/humanitarian/temporary-protected-status.