USHumanitarian protection

TPS — temporary protection in the US

TPS (Temporary Protected Status) is a temporary humanitarian status that the US Department of Homeland Security grants to nationals of countries going through war, a natural disaster or another emergency. It protects nationals of such a country who are already in the United States from deportation and gives the right to work lawfully, but it opens no direct route to a green card or citizenship.

Visa term

Temporary; extended in cycles of 6/12/18 months; re-registration is required

Threshold

Fee for the I-821 and biometrics (at the USCIS rate)

Processing time

Varies between service centres

Work

An EAD through Form I-765; protection from removal for the designation period

Source: uscis.gov — Temporary Protected Status and the list of countries

Who can qualify

Eligibility for TPS is not tied to a visa or to any earlier status — it depends on nationality, presence in the United States and filing on time.

Nationality or origin

A national of a country the Secretary of Homeland Security has designated for TPS
A stateless person whose last habitual residence was the designated country

Presence in the United States

Continuous physical presence in the United States from the date set for the country’s most recent designation
Continuous residence in the United States from the date stated for the country — brief, casual and innocent departures are not treated as an exception

Meeting the filing deadlines

Filing within the country’s open initial registration or re-registration period
Or meeting the conditions for late initial filing during a period when the designation is extended

What it costs

I-821 — initial TPS registration	510 USD
I-821 — repeat registration (re-registration)	0 USD
Biometrics fee (mandatory for applicants over 14)	+30 USD
I-765 — work permission (EAD), online filing	+470 USD
I-765 — work permission (EAD), paper filing	+520 USD
Additional fee under Pub. L. 119-21 for an initial EAD in TPS categories (a)(12)/(c)(19)	+560 USD
Additional fee under Pub. L. 119-21 for an EAD on TPS re-registration, categories (a)(12)/(c)(19)	+280 USD

Documents to gather

The package for initial registration differs from the one for extension: on re-registration new evidence is needed only if USCIS asks for it separately. Any document not in English must be accompanied by a full translation with the translator’s certificate of accuracy and of competence in both languages.

Form I-821, Application for Temporary Protected Status — can be filed online if the country is currently among those designated
Form I-765, Request for Employment Authorization — together with the I-821 or separately later, if an EAD is needed
Form I-601, Application for Waiver of Grounds of Inadmissibility — if a ground of inadmissibility that can be waived applies
Evidence of identity and nationality: a copy of the passport, a birth certificate with photo identification, or a national ID document
Evidence of the date of entry into the United States: a copy of the passport, Form I-94 Arrival/Departure Record or documents showing continuous residence
Evidence of continuous residence in the United States from the date set for the country: employment documents, rent and utility receipts, school and medical records, letters from a church, trade union or other organisation
Where the main identity documents are missing — an affidavit describing the unsuccessful attempts to obtain them and explaining why the consular procedure was unavailable
Form I-912, Request for Fee Waiver — if the applicant cannot pay the fees

How the process runs

USCIS describes the handling of a TPS application as a sequence of seven stages — from filing the package to the final decision.

1
Filing the application
Assemble the TPS package — forms, evidence and payment of the fees (or a fee waiver request) — and send it to the address given on your country’s page. An unsigned form and the wrong fee amount are the two most common reasons USCIS rejects applications.
2
USCIS receives the application
The agency checks that the package is complete and the fees correct, enters the case into its system and sends a receipt notice with a case number for checking the status online. If no notice arrives within three weeks, you can call the USCIS contact centre.
3
Biometrics appointment
If a photograph, signature and fingerprints need to be collected, USCIS sends a separate notice of an appointment at an Application Support Center (ASC). All applicants over 14 must give biometrics; in some cases collection is replaced by re-use of previously held biometric data.
4
Attending the ASC
Bring photo identification, the receipt notice, the appointment notice and a valid EAD if you already have one. Missing the appointment without rescheduling can lead to refusal on the ground that documents were not provided.
5
Assessing eligibility to work
If an EAD is requested together with an initial TPS application, USCIS first determines eligibility to work even before the final TPS decision: where eligibility is established prima facie, the document is issued at that stage. On re-registration the new EAD arrives with the decision on the case as a whole.
6
Considering the application
USCIS may request additional documents (an RFE) or send a notice of intent to deny — you must respond quickly, or refusal for failure to reply in time becomes possible. If a ground of inadmissibility that can be waived applies, the agency will give the opportunity to file Form I-601.
7
Decision on the application
On approval of an initial application a notice is sent, together with the EAD if it was requested and has not yet been issued. On approval of a re-registration — a notice and, if requested, a new EAD. On refusal a letter is sent giving the reason and, where applicable, information on the right of appeal.

Who you can bring with you

TPS has no derivative status: the law does not give a spouse or a child TPS automatically merely because a relative holds it. Each person must themselves be a national of (or a stateless person last resident in) a designated country and go through the full procedure.

The spouse of a person who is currently eligible for TPS

May file an initial application late (late initial filing) if they met that condition during their country’s initial or re-registration period

The child of a person who is currently eligible for TPS

May file late with no time limit if, during the initial registration period, they were no older than 21 and unmarried — even if they are now over 21 or married

The spouse or child of an applicant who already holds TPS, without grounds of their own

Does not receive TPS — being related to a TPS holder does not itself confer the status; a separate immigration ground is needed

Trips, renewal and the grace period

Continuous residence/presence from the stated dates

To keep TPS you must re-register in every extension period the Federal Register announces for the country — this applies to everyone, including those originally granted the status by an immigration judge or by the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA). Re-registering late without good cause can lead to loss of the status and of protection from removal.

How it differs from the routes next to it

The comparison is built from the official terms of the routes themselves — the source links sit on their own pages.

	TPS — temporary protection	Asylum through USCIS	Asylum through the immigration court
Visa term	Temporary; extended in cycles of 6/12/18 months; re-registration is required	The status is indefinite and is not renewed; the EAD and the travel document are renewed	The status is indefinite, there is no routine renewal
Grounds	War or disaster at home	Persecution	Persecution
Money	Fee for the I-821 and biometrics (at the USCIS rate)	No government fee for Form I-589; no income or sponsor requirement	No government fee for the I-589
Work	An EAD through Form I-765; protection from removal for the designation period	After the grant — work without restrictions; while the case is pending, an EAD after 180 days	After the grant — work; while the case is pending, an EAD after 180 days
Residence	Continuous residence/presence from the stated dates	No minimum period; physical presence is required, filing within 1 year	Physical presence in the United States is required

What comes next: permanent residence and citizenship

Route to permanent residence

There is no direct route; only through another category

Route to citizenship

There is no direct route; only after permanent residence by another means

Frequently asked questions about TPS — temporary protection

How much does it cost to apply for TPS for the first time?

Initial registration on Form I-821 costs 510 dollars and does not depend on the filing method — paper or online. A biometrics fee of 30 dollars must be paid separately. On re-registration Form I-821 itself is free, but the biometrics fee applies in the same way.

How long is work permission (an EAD) obtained through TPS valid for?

Since H.R. 1 (the One Big Beautiful Bill Act) took effect on 22 July 2025, the validity of a TPS-based EAD is limited to one year or the validity of the TPS status itself — whichever is shorter. Automatic extension of such an EAD is now possible only in limited cases, which USCIS describes separately.

Can a spouse or child receive TPS automatically together with the applicant?

No. The law expressly does not allow TPS to be obtained as a derivative status merely because a parent or child holds it. Each relative must themselves be a national of a designated country (or meet the conditions for late filing) and go through a separate procedure.

How many days are there to appeal if USCIS refuses TPS?

The refusal notice states whether the applicant has 30 days to appeal to the USCIS Administrative Appeals Office (AAO). Where there is no right of appeal — for example because the applicant has already been placed in deportation proceedings — the TPS application may be considered by an immigration judge.

Does TPS stop the one-year deadline for filing an asylum application?

Yes. If TPS has been granted and maintained up to a reasonable period before the asylum application is filed, this counts as an extraordinary circumstance for the one-year filing rule — TPS “stops the clock” while that one-year period has not yet run out. The rule is set out in 8 CFR 208.4(a)(5)(iv).

Which countries currently take part in the TPS programme?

As at 18 August 2026 the USCIS page lists six countries: El Salvador, Ethiopia, Lebanon, Sudan, Ukraine and Venezuela. The list changes often because designations are terminated and litigation is under way — USCIS publishes separate alerts for each country on the same page, so the current list must be checked before filing.

Can you travel outside the United States while holding TPS?

Only after obtaining travel permission. A TPS holder files Form I-131 and receives document I-512T; those whose TPS application is still pending are issued an I-512L (advance parole). Travelling without such permission can lead to loss of TPS and to being unable to return to the United States.

Other ways to move to US

Every route in one list — migration programmes: US.

The terms and the amounts are checked against official sources — the link sits under each section.Last checked on: 7 August 2026.