Temporary Protected Status, Explained

What Is TPS?

People who are granted Temporary Protected Status (TPS) are protected from removal, granted employment authorization (with an Employment Authorization Document,) and are eligible to apply for travel abroad authorization (Application for Travel Document, Form I-131).

People arriving in the United States from certain countries may be granted Temporary Protected Status (TPS) when deporting them to their country of origin poses a threat to that person’s security. TPS is granted when the person’s home country is experiencing difficulties or conflicts that make returning untenable, or a direct threat to the wellbeing and safety of that person.

TPS has changed more in 2026 than at any point in recent memory. Since the Supreme Court's June 25, 2026 decision in Mullin v. Doe, which limits court challenges to TPS terminations, DHS has ended TPS for Haiti, Syria, Yemen, South Sudan, Burma, Somalia, and Ethiopia, among others. Four countries still have protection for now: El Salvador, Lebanon, Sudan, and Ukraine. Two of them, Sudan and Ukraine, are scheduled to end Oct. 19, 2026.

The sections below explain how the program works. The status of each country is in the tables further down this page.

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TPS History

Included in the Immigration Act of 1990 is the power for the Attorney General, the head of the Department of Justice, to grant temporary protected status — a non-permanent status that allows its grantees to work and live in the United States — to individuals from countries where returning is not a safe option. This status can be granted if the country is affected by armed conflict, unprecedented natural disaster, or other extraordinary, temporary conditions.

Until 2003, immigration was administered by the Department of Justice. The Homeland Security Act of 2002 created the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and three immigration agencies: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE); United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS); and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Eventually the power to grant TPS shifted by statute from the Attorney General to the newer position of Secretary of Homeland Security.

How is TPS Determined?

The Secretary of Homeland Security decides whether to designate a country for TPS, extend a designation, or end one, after consulting with the State Department and other agencies. A country can qualify if it is experiencing:

1. Ongoing armed conflict, such as civil war.
2. A natural disaster, such as an earthquake, hurricane, or epidemic that causes substantial disruption.
3. Other extraordinary and temporary conditions that prevent nationals from returning safely, as long as granting TPS isn't contrary to the U.S. national interest.

A designation can last 6, 12, or 18 months. The Secretary must decide whether to extend or end a designation at least 60 days before it expires. If the Secretary doesn't make a timely decision, federal law provides for an automatic six-month extension. That's what happened with Lebanon in May 2026.

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Federal law bars judicial review of "any determination" by the Secretary about designating, extending, or ending TPS. In Mullin v. Doe, the Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that this bar prevents courts from hearing non-constitutional challenges to TPS terminations, including claims that DHS skipped required steps. Lower-court orders that had delayed terminations for several countries lost much of their force after that decision.

TPS Eligibility

Nationals of a designated country, and people without nationality who last habitually lived there, may apply if they are already in the United States. People who arrive after the designation date generally can't apply unless the country is redesignated. To qualify, you must:

• Be a national of the designated country, or a stateless person who last habitually resided there
• Have been continuously physically present in the U.S. since the date set for that country
• Have continuously resided in the U.S. since the date set for that country
• Not have disqualifying criminal convictions or pose a security threat

Countries Currently Under Temporary Protected Status

Last updated: Oct. 6, 2026.

The tables below show the current status of each country. Because terminations and court orders can change quickly, check the USCIS page for your country before relying on any date.

Countries Whose Temporary Protected Status Has Expired

What Happens When TPS Ends

When a TPS designation ends, TPS protections generally end on the date set by DHS. USCIS says that TPS-based Employment Authorization Documents (EADs) in categories A12 and C19 are no longer valid after the applicable expiration date, unless DHS has extended their validity. Employers may need to reverify an employee’s authorization to work in the United States. If an employee can no longer show valid work authorization, the employer cannot continue employing them.

After TPS ends, a person generally returns to the immigration status they had before receiving TPS, unless they obtained another status while protected by TPS. Some people may be left without lawful immigration status.

People affected by the end of TPS should consider speaking with an immigration attorney about other immigration options they may have, including family- or employment-based pathways, asylum, or other forms of relief.

TPS: The Application Process

An application for TPS must include the following forms, evidence and either appropriate fees or a fee waiver request.

Required Forms

• Form I-821, Application for Temporary Protected Status: To register or re-register for TPS, file this form either through USCIS’ TPS webpage or the address listed in the Federal Register for that country. TPS holders must re-register during their country’s designated re-registration period. Information on how to file can be found on each country’s page within USCIS’ TPS webpage navigation.

• Form I-765, Request for Employment Authorization (EAD): It’s not necessary to file form I-765 as part of the TPS application, and the form can be filed at any time while a person holds TPS. While not necessary, Form I-765 at the same time as Form I-821 may, per the USCIS website, “may help you receive your EAD more promptly if you are eligible.”

• Form I-601, Application for Waiver of the Grounds of Admissibility (only if applicable): If a person is considered inadmissible to the United States but wants a waiver on the grounds of that judgement, this form must be filed.

TPS Supporting Documents

The following must be submitted with the TPS application. In all cases, do not send the original documents, but a copy of that documentation.

Identity and Nationality Evidence: This proves nationality or habitual residence in a country which has a TPS designation. Primary evidence as defined below is the most favorable documentation to file. If USCIS does not find submitted evidence to be sufficient, it will issue a request for additional evidence. At that point, secondary evidence as defined below may be submitted.

Primary Evidence:

• A copy of a passport;
• A copy of a birth certificate, accompanied by photo identification; and/or
• Any national identity document bearing a photograph and/or fingerprint issued by country of origin, including any documents issued by that country’s Embassy or Consulate in the United States, such as a national ID card or naturalization certificate.

If none of the primary evidence is available, an affidavit with the following may be submitted:

• Proof of efforts to obtain such documents; and
• An explanation about why the consular process was unavailable to you, and affirmation that of either nationality or habitual residence of a country with a TPS designation.

There may be an interview as part of the process; at that time, additional evidence may be submitted.

Secondary Evidence

• Nationality documentation, such as a naturalization certificate, even if it does not have a photograph and fingerprint;
• A baptismal certificate if it indicates nationality or in the case of a minor, a parent’s nationality;
• Copies of school or medical records if they have information supporting a claim of nationality from a country designated for TPS;
• Copies of other immigration documents showing nationality and identity; or
• Affidavits from friends or family members who have close personal knowledge of the date and place of an applicant’s birth and their parents’ nationality. The affidavit should include information about how he or she knows or is related to the applicant, and how he or she knows their life details, such as of the date and place of birth and the nationality of the applicant’s parents. (The nationality of parents is important if an applicant is from a country where nationality is derived from a parent.)

Date of Entry Evidence: This documentation is pretty straightforward, and it proves when an applicant entered the United States. Acceptable evidence is:

• A copy of a passport;
• I-94 Arrival/Departure Record; or
• Copies of documents specified in the “Continuous Residence (CR) Evidence” as defined below.

Continuous Residence (CR) Evidence: This documentation shows an applicant was residing in the United States at the time their country of origin was granted TPS. Evidence of this includes, but is not limited to the list below. A full list can be found on the Form I-821 instructions.

• Employment records;
• Rent receipts, utility bills, receipts or letters from companies;
• School records from the schools that an applicant or their children have attended in the U.S.;
• Hospital or medical records concerning treatment or hospitalization of you or your children; or
• Attestations by church, union or other organization officials who know the applicant.

TPS Fees

Fees rose under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (H.R. 1), signed July 22, 2025, and again with an inflation adjustment for requests postmarked on or after Jan. 1, 2026. USCIS lists these amounts for the 2026 fiscal year:

• Form I-821 (TPS application): $510
• Form I-765, initial TPS EAD: $560
• Form I-765, renewal or extension of a TPS EAD: $280

USCIS adjusts these fees for inflation each year, so confirm the current amounts on the USCIS fee schedule before you file. Form I-601 has its own fee, also listed on the schedule.

Payment can be made by money order, personal check, or cashier's check payable to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, or by credit card using Form G-1450 where the filing location accepts it. USCIS has historically allowed fee waiver requests on Form I-912 for TPS filings. Check current USCIS guidance on whether and how waivers apply before relying on one.

TPS: Additional Tips

• A person can register for TPS using U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ (USCIS) application process. There are fees associated with the process.
• If TPS is granted, the protective status includes a temporary stay of deportation for the length of the status and, for the same time period, temporary authorization to work in the United States. People with TPS can also apply, separately, for advance parole, which provides permission to travel internationally from the United States and return. (Public assistance is not included in the status).
• Temporary Protected Status does not provide a path to a green card or citizenship; but neither does it eliminate any eligibility nor prevent anyone eligible from applying for citizenship.
• If a person wants to adjust their status, under the current Homeland Security protocols, they must leave the United States and apply through the consular process.
• If TPS has been removed from a person’s country of origin, that person’s status reverts to what it was prior to their being granted protected status, unless a new status was acquired during the TPS period.
• Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) is a separate form of temporary protection that the President grants directly. It isn't TPS, and its availability changes by country. Check USCIS for current DED designations.

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