Secretary Mayorkas Announces Venezuela’s TPS Extension and Redesignation
In a significant update, Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas has extended and redesignated Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Venezuela, offering an additional 18 months of protection. This decision is a response to the ongoing challenges in Venezuela that make returning home unsafe.
Secretary Mayorkas reached this decision after a comprehensive assessment of Venezuela’s current situation, working closely with government partners. The nation’s worsening instability, coupled with humanitarian, security, political, and environmental issues, justified the 18-month extension and redesignation.
Under this redesignation, eligible individuals who were in the United States before July 31, 2023, gain temporary protection from deportation and the right to seek employment.
Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas stressed the importance of TPS, saying, “Temporary protected status provides individuals already present in the United States with protection from removal when the conditions in their home country prevent their safe return. That is the situation that Venezuelans who arrived here on or before July 31 of this year find themselves in. We are accordingly granting them the protection that the law provides. However, it is critical that Venezuelans understand that those who have arrived here after July 31, 2023, are not eligible for such protection, and instead will be removed when they are found to not have a legal basis to stay.”
To qualify for TPS under this redesignation, applicants must demonstrate their Venezuelan nationality or show that they last habitually resided in Venezuela and have continuously resided in the United States since July 31, 2023, among other criteria.
Notably, pending applications under the previous TPS designation for Venezuela will continue to be processed. Those with pending Form I-821 (Application for Temporary Protected Status) or Form I-765 (Application for Employment Authorization) do not need to reapply. If these applications are approved, TPS status and an Employment Authorization Document (EAD) will be granted with the same expiration date.
For those without TPS status but who qualify, an initial registration period will be specified in an upcoming Federal Register notice. During this period, they can apply for TPS and related EADs. Eligible individuals may request an EAD by submitting a completed Form I-765 (Application for Employment Authorization) along with Form I-821 or separately at a later date.
Currently, there are around 242,700 TPS beneficiaries under Venezuela’s existing designation, and an additional 472,000 Venezuelan nationals may be eligible under this redesignation.
For detailed eligibility criteria, timelines, and application procedures for current beneficiaries seeking re-registration and EAD renewal, as well as for new applicants, watch for the forthcoming Federal Register notice.
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