DHS Announces Extension and Redesignation of TPS for Venezuela and Afghanistan
/Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas announced on September 20, 2023 the extension and redesignation of Venezuela for TPS for 18 months due to extraordinary and temporary conditions in Venezuela that prevent individuals from safely returning.
Redesignation allows additional eligible Venezuelan nationals who arrived in the U.S. on or before July 31, 2023 to apply for TPS and Employment Authorization Documents.
Venezuelan nationals who entered after July 31, 2023 are not eligible for TPS. Those who do not enter the U.S. via lawful pathways will be subject to enforcement consequences.
Under the new redesignation of Venezuela (Venezuela 2023), eligible individuals who do not have TPS may submit an initial Form I-821, Application for Temporary Protected Status, during the initial registration period that runs from October 3, 2023 through April 2, 2025. Applicants can apply for a TPS-related EAD by submitting a completed Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization, with their Form I-821, or separately later. Applicants may also submit Form I-765 online.
The extension of TPS for Venezuelans who are already registered (Venezuela 2021) runs from March 11, 2024 through September 10, 2025 and allows approximately 243,000 current beneficiaries to retain TPS through September 10, 2025, if they re-register and continue to meet TPS eligibility requirements. Re-registration is limited to beneficiaries of TPS under Venezuela 2021. Current beneficiaries under TPS for Venezuela must re-register in a timely manner during the 60-day re-registration period from January 10, 2024, through March 10, 2024, to ensure they keep their TPS and work authorization. DHS recognizes that not all re-registrants may receive a new EAD before their current EAD expires and is automatically extending through March 10, 2025, the validity of certain EADs previously issued under Venezuela 2021.
Please see the Federal Register notice that fully explains the eligibility criteria, timelines, and procedures necessary for current beneficiaries to re-register and renew EADs under Venezuela 2021, and for new applicants to submit an initial application under the redesignation and apply for an EAD under Venezuela 2023."
Extension and Redesignation of Afghanistan for Temporary Protected Status (published in the Federal Register on 9/25/2023) - Through this notice, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announces that the Secretary of Homeland Security (Secretary) is extending the designation of Afghanistan for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for 18 months, beginning on November 21, 2023, and ending on May 20, 2025. This extension allows existing TPS beneficiaries to retain TPS through May 20, 2025, so long as they otherwise continue to meet the eligibility requirements for TPS. Existing TPS beneficiaries who wish to extend their status through May 20, 2025, must re-register during the 60-day re-registration period described in this notice.
The Secretary is also redesignating Afghanistan for TPS. The redesignation of Afghanistan allows additional Afghan nationals (and individuals having no nationality who last habitually resided in Afghanistan) who have been continuously residing in the United States since September 20, 2023, to apply for TPS for the first time during the initial registration period described under the redesignation information in this notice. In addition to demonstrating continuous residence in the United States since September 20, 2023, and meeting other eligibility criteria, initial applicants for TPS under this designation must demonstrate that they have been continuously physically present in the United States since November 21, 2023, the effective date of this redesignation of Afghanistan for TPS.
Please visit this link for all TPS categories: USCIS Temporary Protected Status page
