Last Updated on January 30, 2025
Welcome to the U.S. immigration news briefing from Corporate Immigration Partners, PC (CIP PC). The team is here to provide the latest updates on policy changes affecting corporate immigration. This update reviews recent changes in Temporary Protected Status (TPS).
Temporary Protected Status: A January 2025 Overview
Temporary Protected Status (TPS) is a temporary immigration status provided to nationals of certain countries experiencing problems that make it difficult or unsafe for their nationals to return to those countries. TPS has been a lifeline to thousands of individuals already in the U.S. when problems in a home country make their return or deportation untenable.
TPS Extensions and Changes Under Trump Administration
On January 10, 2025, Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas announced the extension of TPS for Ukraine, Sudan, Venezuela and El Salvador for an additional 18 months.
The Trump administration issued an Executive Order directing the administration to review TPS designations. This puts designated individuals at risk of removal unless they can rely on another valid immigration status. The administration will likely prioritize reviewing designations for renewal in 2025, setting the tone for future program handling.
A termination or lack of redesignation or extension of a TPS designation will make recipients of the status immediately ineligible for the protections and work authorization the status affords them. This puts designated individuals at risk of removal unless they can rely on another valid immigration status.
What is TPS?
The U.S. government grants TPS to nationals of specific countries facing ongoing armed conflict, environmental disasters or extraordinary temporary conditions. This status allows eligible foreign nationals already in the U.S. at the time of designation to obtain work authorization and protection from deportation. The decision to designate a country for TPS, as well as the duration of such designations, is at the discretion of the Secretary of Homeland Security.
A country and its nationals can be designated for TPS for six, 12 or 18 months. At least 60 days before TPS expires, the Secretary of Homeland Security must evaluate the situation in the foreign country to decide whether to extend or end the designation. These decisions are finalized only after the Federal Register officially publishes them.
If the extension or termination of TPS is not announced at least 60 days before its expiration, the status is automatically extended for an additional six months. No legal limit exists to how long a country can maintain its TPS designation.
TPS Eligibility
To qualify for TPS, an individual must:
- Be a national of the foreign country with a TPS designation;
- Be continuously physically present in the U.S. since the effective date of designation;
- Have continuously resided in the U.S. since a date specified by the Secretary of Homeland Security; and
- Not be inadmissible to the U.S. or be barred from asylum for specific criminal or national security-related reasons, such as individuals convicted of any felony or two or more misdemeanors.
TPS Registration
Foreign nationals from a designated country do not automatically receive TPS; they must register for it during a designated registration period. A person’s immigration status when they apply for TPS does not affect their eligibility, and having previously received a removal order does not impact their eligibility either.
If a person demonstrates eligibility and USCIS grants them TPS, they receive temporary protection from deportation and temporary authorization to remain and work in the U.S.
TPS Designated Countries
In January 2025, the U.S. designated the following 17 countries for TPS:
- Afghanistan
- Burma
- Cameroon
- El Salvador
- Ethiopia
- Haiti
- Honduras
- Lebanon
- Nepal
- Nicaragua
- Somalia
- South Sudan
- Sudan
- Syria
- Ukraine
- Venezuela
- Yemen
Envoy is pleased to provide you with this information, which was prepared in collaboration with Corporate Immigration Partners, P.C., a U.S. law firm who provides services through the Envoy Platform (the “U.S. Law Firm”).
Content in this publication is for informational purposes only and not intended as legal advice, nor should it be relied on as such. Envoy is not a law firm, and does not provide legal advice. If you would like guidance on how this information may impact your particular situation and you are a client of the U.S. Law Firm, consult your attorney. If you are not a client of the U.S. Law Firm working with Envoy, consult another qualified professional. This website does not create an attorney-client relationship with the U.S. Law Firm.
