The Department of Homeland Security has announced the extension and redesignation of Venezuela for Temporary Protected Status.
Key Points:
- The TPS extension will allow currently eligible Venezuelan TPS
beneficiaries to retain TPS for an additional 18 months, provided
they continue to meet eligibility requirements.
- The redesignation will allow Venezuelan nationals who have
continuously resided in the United States since July 31, 2023, to
submit first-time TPS applications, provided they meet other
eligibility criteria. Venezuelan nationals who arrived in the
United States after July 31 will not be eligible.
- TPS provides temporary protection from removal and the
opportunity to apply for employment authorization. In announcing
the extension/redesignation, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro
Mayorkas cited "extraordinary and temporary conditions in
Venezuela that prevent individuals from safely returning" at
this time.
- DHS is expected to publish a Federal Register notice soon detailing eligibility criteria, timelines and procedures for current TPS beneficiaries and first-time applicants. According to DHS, there are currently about 242,700 TPS beneficiaries under Venezuela's existing TPS designation. An additional 472,000 nationals of Venezuela may be eligible under the redesignation.
Additional Information: The Biden administration announced the TPS extension/redesignation as part of a broader effort to increase border enforcement and accelerate the processing of work authorization requests. Among other initiatives, DHS said U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services would "increase the maximum validity period of initial and renewal EADs to 5 years for certain noncitizens, including those admitted as refugees or granted asylum; recipients of withholding of removal; and applicants for asylum, adjustment of status, or cancellation of removal." DHS said this change would reduce USCIS' workload and help improve processing times but did not provide details about when it would take effect or precisely who would be eligible. BAL will monitor the implementation of this announcement and provide information as it becomes available.
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