The Biden Administration has announced that eligible Afghans can begin filing for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) as of May 20.
This designation allows Afghan nationals (and individuals having no nationality who last habitually resided in Afghanistan) who have continuously resided in the United States since March 15, 2022, to file initial applications for TPS. The registration period will run through Nov. 20, 2023, which is also how long the initial TPS period will last.
The Federal Register provides instructions for applying for TPS and an Employment Authorization Document (EAD). TPS applicants must meet all eligibility requirements and undergo security and background checks. https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2022/05/20/2022-10923/designation-of-afghanistan-for-temporary-protected-status
For those eligible to apply, applying for TPS in no way negatively impacts any other application an Afghan may be making – such as for asylum, or through family, or employment. And if TPS gets extended repeatedly, as often happens if conditions in the home country haven’t improved, then if a person’s asylum or other application is denied, for as long as a person has and remains eligible to renew TPS, the person is protected from deportation. Instructions for filing for TPS are not yet up on the USCIS website, but are forthcoming.
For the most current information related to Temporary Protected Status, visit TPS webpage.
