You may wish to stay in the United States if you believe that your safety is threatened in your home country. Reasons like this are why the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has the power to enforce temporary protected status (TPS) programs. Continue reading to learn how TPS programs work and how an experienced asylum immigration lawyer in Milwaukee, WI, at Sesini Law Group, S.C., can help determine your eligibility and henceforward guide you through the application process.
How do temporary protected status programs work in the United States?
Put simply, temporary protected status is a non-permanent status that allows individuals to work and live in the United States if returning to their home country is not a safe option. More specifically, an individual’s home country must be affected by armed conflict (i.e., civil war or non-internationalized armed conflict), unprecedented natural disasters (i.e., tsunamis, earthquakes, and epidemics), or other dangerous, temporary conditions.
It is worth mentioning that only certain countries are granted TPS programs. And this status usually last for six, 12, or 18 months, and may only be extended at the discretion of the Secretary of the DHS. Without further ado, the list of countries that currently hold this status, with potential expiration dates in 2024 or 2025, reads as follows:
- Afghanistan.
- Burma.
- Cameroon.
- El Salvador.
- Ethiopia.
- Haiti.
- Honduras.
- Nepal.
- Nicaragua.
- Somalia.
- South Sudan.
- Sudan.
- Syria.
- Ukraine.
- Venezuela.
- Yemen.
How do I apply for this program?
Before all else, you must make sure that you may be an eligible participant in the temporary protected status program. Such qualification criteria read as follows:
- You must be a national or otherwise habitually stateless resident of a country that is currently designated in the TPS program.
- You must have been continuously, physically present in the United States since your country was designated in the TPS program.
- You must have been continuously residing in the United States since the date granted to you by the Secretary of the DHS.
- You must not have any history of criminal activity or national security-related threats.
Once you confirm that you qualify for this program, you may initiate the following application process:
- Fill out Form I-821, Application for Temporary Protected Status; possibly alongside Form I-765, Request for Employment Authorization if you wish to work during your stay.
- Collect and submit evidence of your identity and nationality.
- Collect and submit evidence of your date of entry.
- Collect and submit evidence of your continuous evidence.
- Pay the associated fees; or fill out Form I-912, Application for Fee Waiver.
You must not take any chances when it comes to applying for temporary protected status. So please retain the services of a skilled Milwaukee, WI asylum immigration lawyer from Sesini Law Group, S.C. as soon as you can.