Earning temporary protected status in the United States may offer you life-changing relief. Even though the name suggests otherwise, you may wonder whether you can receive enduring and endless protection from your new home country by converting your temporary status into a permanent green card. Well, if this is your current hope, please continue reading to learn whether receiving temporary protected status can eventually lead to getting a green card, and how an experienced asylum immigration lawyer in Milwaukee, WI, at Sesini Law Group, S.C., can help you understand how realistic this possibility may be.
Am I qualified to receive temporary protected status?
Before you get too ahead of yourself, you must first determine your temporary protected status eligibility. Specifically, this status is a humanitarian immigration program designated for individuals from certain countries who would be in immediate danger due to armed conflict, environmental disasters, or other extraordinary conditions if they were to return. Therefore, with this temporary lawful presence in the United States, such individuals may also be permitted to seek work to support themselves during their stay.
Despite being a national from a country that the U.S. government has officially designated for temporary protected status, you may not be granted this if you do not pass the admissibility and background checks. This may be if you have been found guilty of committing a felony or two misdemeanors in the U.S. Or, if the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has reason to believe you were involved in terrorism-related activity, the persecution of others, or pose any other national security concern.
Can my temporary protected status lead to a green card?
While you cannot be deported during the designation period of your temporary protected status, you may still not have permanent resident status. This is important to understand, as there is no automatic upgrade to a green card at the end of this allotted timeframe. However, you may still explore indirect pathways towards permanent resident status. For one, you may be eligible to apply for a green card through a family petition if you are under 21 and have a U.S. citizen parent, the parent of an adult U.S. citizen child 21 or older, or the spouse of a U.S. citizen.
Secondly, there is the possibility of an employment-based green card, if you can first meet the education and skill requirements for this visa type and then find an employer willing and able to sponsor you. Lastly, given that you left your home country out of fear for your safety, you may also qualify for other humanitarian forms of relief. For example, asylum, a U visa, and a Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) petition may all be direct routes to a permanent status.
You probably have more questions regarding this topic, and we would be happy to answer them for you. Please schedule an initial consultation with a skilled asylum immigration lawyer in Milwaukee, WI, from Sesini Law Group, S.C. We look forward to our conversation with you.