USCIS Announces Registration Period Extended to 18 Months for TPS Applicants from Venezuela, Syria and Burma

In this blog post we share with you some happy news for first time Temporary Protected Status (TPS) applicants from Venezuela, Syria, and Burma.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has announced that it is extending the initial registration periods for applications under the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designations for Venezuela, Syria, and Burma (Myanmar), from 180 days to 18 months.

Foreign nationals eligible to file initial (new) applications under the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designations for Venezuela, Syria and Burma (Myanmar), will now have up to 18 months to submit their requests, up from 180 days, according to a recent Federal Register notice that has been published in the Federal Register by USCIS. The registration periods, which were to expire this fall, are being extended by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in an effort to ensure that eligible applicants have an opportunity to obtain TPS and to reduce operational burdens on U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) by spreading out applications over a period of time.

The new 18-month filing periods align with the TPS designation for each country and are in keeping with the filing periods recently allotted in for Yemen, Haiti, and Somalia TPS designations.

What does the new filing extension allow me to do?

This new filing extension will allow eligible individuals to submit an initial Form I-821, Application for Temporary Protected Status, application for an Employment Authorization Document (Form I-765 work permit), and application for Travel Permission (Form I-131) (if desired) at any time during the 18-month designation or redesignation periods for these three countries.

To be eligible for TPS, you must:

Be a national of a country designated for TPS, or a person without nationality who last habitually resided in the designated country;
File during the open initial registration (see below);
Have been continuously physically present (CPP) in the United States since the effective date of the most recent designation date of your country (see below March 9, 2021 for Venezuela; March 19, 2021 for Syria; and May 25, 2021 for Burma (Myanmar);
Have been continuously residing (CR) in the United States since the date specified for your country. The law allows an exception to the continuous physical presence and continuous residence requirements for brief, casual and innocent departures from the United States. When you apply or re-register for TPS, you must inform USCIS of all absences from the United States since the CPP and CR dates. USCIS will determine whether the exception applies in your case.

Where can I file my initial application for TPS?

First time applicants for TPS from Burma, Syria, and Venezuela, will be able to file Form I-821, Application for Temporary Protected Status, and Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization Document online.

The I-765 application will be the first forms available for concurrent filing online.

Only applicants filing for an initial grant of TPS are eligible for the extended filing period and online filing benefit.

When is the registration period?

The 18-month registration period for initial applications under the TPS designation for Venezuela now runs through Sept. 9, 2022.

The 18-month registration period for initial applications under the redesignation of Syria for TPS now runs through Sept. 30, 2022.

The 18-month registration period for initial applications under the TPS designation for Burma (Myanmar) now runs through Nov. 25, 2022.

Does this TPS filing extension mean that my TPS validity will also be extended?

No. Extending the registration period does not extend or alter the expiration date of an applicant’s TPS, which remains the same regardless of date of registration. According to USCIS, this extended registration period is in keeping with the humanitarian purpose of TPS and advances the actions outlined in President Biden’s Executive Order 14012.

Now that the filing period for initial applications have been extended, what are the current registration periods for Venezuela, Syria, and Burma?

Now that the extensions are in place, the filing periods for initial applications are as follows:

Venezuela: March 9, 2021 through September 9, 2022
Syria: March 19, 2021 through September 30, 2022
Burma (Myanmar):May 25, 2021 through November 25, 2022

How will this benefit me

The extended TPS filing periods for Venezuela, Syria and Burma (Myanmar) mean that those who file a timely application within the filing period, and who receive approval for TPS benefits, will be able to lawfully remain and have permission to work in the United States for the duration of the TPS designation (through September 9, 2022 for Venezuela; through September 30, 2022 for Syria; and through November 25, 2022 for Burma (Myanmar).

After this period of time, the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security will review country conditions and determine whether the TPS designations should be extended or terminated.

Questions? If you would like to schedule a consultation, please text 619-569-1768 or call 619-819-9204.

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