TPS eligibility checker

TPS country designations and registration periods change by government announcement. Whether your country is currently designated, and the exact registration dates that apply, can change with little notice. Confirm current designation status directly with USCIS or an immigration attorney before relying on any timeline here. See our full disclaimer.

TPS eligibility screener

Your TPS eligibility result

Get help confirming your TPS eligibility

TPS designation status and registration windows change over time. An immigration attorney can confirm whether your country is currently designated and help you file correctly within the current window.

How does Temporary Protected Status work?

TPS is granted to nationals of specific countries designated by the Department of Homeland Security because of ongoing armed conflict, environmental disaster, or other extraordinary conditions that make safe return temporarily unsafe. Designation is country-specific and time-limited, reviewed periodically and either extended, redesignated with a new registration window, or terminated. TPS provides protection from removal and work authorization for as long as the designation remains in effect, but it doesn't by itself lead to a green card.

If you're concerned about what happens if your country's TPS designation ends, it's worth understanding your broader options ahead of time through our deportation defense screener and asylum eligibility screener, since some TPS holders also qualify for other forms of relief.

Country designation and registration periods

Each TPS designation includes a specific registration period and requires that applicants have been continuously residing in the US since a specific date set for that designation, which varies by country and by when the designation was issued or redesignated. These dates are set by the government for each individual country and change over time, so confirming the exact current registration window and qualifying date for your specific country is an essential first step before applying.

Continuous residence and continuous physical presence

TPS requires both continuous residence in the US since the date set for that country's designation, and continuous physical presence since the most recent effective date of designation, with limited exceptions for brief, casual, and innocent departures. These are 2 separate but related concepts, and gaps in either one can affect eligibility, similar to how continuous residence works in other immigration contexts like naturalization.

What disqualifies someone from TPS

Certain criminal convictions, including any felony or 2 or more misdemeanors committed in the US, generally disqualify someone from TPS. Security-related grounds of inadmissibility also apply. Unlike some other forms of relief, a single minor offense doesn't automatically disqualify an applicant, but any criminal history should be reviewed carefully given how TPS disqualification rules differ from other immigration categories.

Frequently asked questions about TPS

Not directly. TPS itself is a temporary status tied to a country designation and doesn't include a built-in path to permanent residency. However, some TPS holders qualify for a green card through a separate pathway, such as a family or employment-based petition, and TPS can sometimes help satisfy certain entry or inspection requirements for adjustment of status depending on the circuit and specific facts of the case.

If a designation is terminated, TPS holders generally revert to whatever immigration status they would otherwise have, which for many people means becoming undocumented again unless another form of relief applies. This is why it's worth proactively exploring other potential pathways, like asylum or family-based options, well before a designation might end, rather than waiting until termination is announced.

TPS holders generally need advance authorization to travel internationally and return, similar to advance parole in other contexts. Traveling without this authorization can result in being denied reentry or losing TPS status. The specific travel authorization process and its availability can also change with the status of the underlying designation, so confirming current rules before any trip is essential.

Yes, TPS eligibility does not require a lawful entry. Unlike some other immigration benefits, TPS is specifically designed to be available to people regardless of how they entered the US, as long as they meet the continuous residence, continuous physical presence, and other requirements for the relevant country designation.

Yes, generally. Each extension of a country's designation requires current TPS holders to file a re-registration application within a specific window to maintain status and work authorization, even though the underlying eligibility requirements don't need to be re-proven from scratch in most cases. Missing a re-registration window can create a gap in valid status.