For 18 months and due to extraordinary and temporary circumstances in Venezuela, the Biden administration has decided to extend the TPS immigration permit to 472,000 Venezuelans in the United States, EFE reported on Wednesday, September 18.

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, quoted on Telemundo 51, said that “the renewal, expansion and redesignation of Venezuela for Temporary Protected Status (TPS)” will last for 18 months, “due to extraordinary and temporary circumstances in Venezuela that they prevent people from returning safely.”

Mayorkas indicated that after evaluating conditions in the country and consulting with interagency partners, the outlet “determined that it is justified an extension of TPS by 18 months “in light of the growing instability and lack of security in Venezuela due to long-standing humanitarian, security, political and environmental conditions.”

Who is the TPS extension measure intended for?

The measure extends the date on which eligibility for immigration protection is determined. Before the announcement, the Voice of America recalled, only “Venezuelans who demonstrated a continued presence in the United States through March 9, 2021 had access to TPS.”

Now, temporary protection against deportation and work permits can be granted to Venezuelans who stayed in that country until July 31, 2023.

The United States extends protection status for Hondurans, Salvadorans and Nicaraguans until 2025

With the new expansion and repurposing, TPS will benefit Venezuelans who arrived before July 31 of this year.

With this change, “the number of Venezuelans who can obtain authorization to work and reside in the United States increases from 242,700 to 472,000,” the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement.

By expanding TPS for Venezuela, Biden will allow Venezuelans who have arrived illegally to the United States in record numbers over the past two years to temporarily regularize their situation.

What is TPS

Since the 1990s, TPS, described by EFE as “an immigration program through which the United States grants extraordinary permits to immigrants from countries affected by armed conflict, natural disasters, epidemics, or other conditions that make travel unsafe.” nationals to their country of origin.”

He temporary protected statusin the words of Secretary Mayorkas, broadcast by Telemundo 51, “provides people already in the United States with protection from deportation when conditions in their country of origin prevent their safe return.”

TPS applicants, the news chain continued, must demonstrate that they are citizens who have continuously resided in the United States before July 31, 2023, and meet other eligibility criteria.

Mayorkas emphasized this point, published on the Secretary of National Security (DHS) website: “It is essential that Venezuelans understand that those who arrived here after July 31, 2023 are not eligible for such protection and will instead be deported if it is determined that they have no legal basis to remain.”

People convicted of crimes or inadmissible in the United States are not eligible for TPS. That includes those who do not meet the requirements of continued physical presence and residence in that country, the Voice of America added.

Is it true that the TPS must be renewed in September? What is this immigration benefit in the United States and how can you apply for it?

Register

To register for TPS, people must submit to a Form I-821, for the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

On the DHS website, they noted on September 21, 2023: Under Venezuela’s rezoning, eligible individuals who do not have a TPS may file a Form I-821, Application for Temporary Protected Status, during the initial registration period that follows. upcoming Federal Register notice.

Applicants may also apply for a TPS-related EAD and travel authorization.

Applicants may apply for an EAD by submitting the completed Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization, with their Form I-821, or separately below.

Currently, the Secretary of National Security stated: “There are approximately 242,700 TPS beneficiaries under Venezuela’s existing TPS designation. There are approximately 472,000 additional Venezuelan citizens who could qualify under Venezuela’s rezoning.”

For more information on the subject, see here

(JO)