What is Temporary Protected Status (TPS)

Congress created Temporary Protected Status (TPS) in the Immigration Act of 1990. It is a temporary immigration status provided to nationals of specifically designated countries that are confronting an ongoing armed conflict, environmental disaster, or extraordinary and temporary conditions. It provides a work permit and stay of deportation to foreign nationals from those countries who are in the United States at the time the U.S. government makes the designation. There were approximately 411,000 TPS recipients residing in the United States as of October 2020.

Temporary Protected Status (TPS) is a temporary immigration benefit established by the United States government for people of certain nationalities who cannot safely return to their countries of origin, either due to conflict armed in progress, a natural disaster and other extraordinary conditions of a temporary nature. TPS beneficiaries, as well as people who are eligible during the initial review of their cases, are not removed from the US and will not be detained by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Beneficiaries can also seek work in the US using the Employment Authorization Document (EAD) and obtain travel authorization. TPS status is granted for periods of 6, 12 or 18 months at a time, periods that can be extended if the country of origin continues to meet the necessary conditions for its designation.

Temporary Protected Status (TPS) is a provisional benefit that allows people who are already in the United States, and who come from certain countries with extraordinary and dangerous conditions, to live and work legally on a temporary basis. The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) designates which nationalities can benefit from the program temporarily, and it is granted for six to eighteen months, and can even be extended. TPS is a special designation that DHS grants to some countries that suffer from dangerous conditions, which could prevent their citizens from returning safely to their country of origin. In other special circumstances, countries are included in the TPS list if they cannot process the return of their citizens.