On March 8, 2021, Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas designated Venezuela for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for 18 months – until September 9, 2022. The designation allows eligible Venezuelans to file for TPS status – as well as for work and travel authorization – without fear of deportation.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) states that a complex and severe humanitarian crisis in Venezuela that, caused widespread hunger and malnutrition, a crumbling infrastructure, a growing presence of non-state armed groups, and then temporarily prevents nationals from safely returning are the main reasons for TPS designation. Other countries with TPS designation include El Salvador, Nicaragua, Honduras, Haiti, Sudan, South Sudan, Nepal, Yemen, and Syria.
The following are the eligibility requirements for TPS designation under Venezuela for 18 months:
Must be a Venezuelan national or a person without a nationality but last resided in Venezuela
File for TPS during the open initial registration or re-registration during the 180-day period (from March 9, 2021, until September 5, 2021).
Prove you have been continuously and physically present in the U.S. since March 8, 2021.
All applicants must file Form I-821 (Application for Temporary Protected Status), Form I-765 (Request for Employment Authorization), along with the supporting documents and filing fees with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
All applicants need to also undergo background and security checks to also determine eligibility. In addition, applications ages 14 or older generally must obtain biometrics collection (fingerprints).
If you are a Venezuelan national in Phoenix, AZ, and interested in obtaining TPS status, contact Kanu & Associates, P.C. today at (602) 353-7795 to let a skilled lawyer with more than two decades of experience help you. Se habla español.