Redesignation and extension of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Venezuela.
Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas recently announced the redesignation and extension of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Venezuela. Venezuela is redesignated for TPS from Oct. 3, 2023, through April 2, 2025, for new applicants under the 2023 designation. For existing beneficiaries under the 2021 designation, TPS for Venezuela is extended from March 11, 2024, through Sept. 10, 2025.
Individuals with a pending or approved TPS application may qualify for certain public benefits and REAL ID driver's licenses and identification cards. When applying for a federal, state, or local government benefit, individuals will need to show a document proving they applied for or are beneficiaries of TPS for Venezuela. They may provide a TPS Employment Authorization Document (EAD) with a category code of A12 or C19, or a copy of their Form I-797, Notice of Action, for a current Form I-821, Application for Temporary Protected Status.
Given the time frames for processing TPS re-registration applications, USCIS has automatically extended the validity of EADs for existing beneficiaries with a Card Expires date of Sept. 9, 2022, or March 10, 2024, issued under the 2021 TPS designation of Venezuela through March 10, 2025. TPS Venezuela applicants or beneficiaries presenting an auto-extended EAD do not need to show any other document, such as a Form I-797 or I-797C Notice of Action, to prove that they qualify for the EAD auto-extension.
SAVE will be able to verify an individual's TPS and employment authorization or pending TPS application (and any employment authorization) using information from any documents (including any auto-extended EAD) noted above. In some instances, the benefit-granting agency may need to institute additional verification to do so.
For more information regarding Venezuela's TPS extension and redesignation, please refer to 88 FR 68130, dated Oct. 3, 2023.
For up-to-date information, please check TPS webpage or call the USCIS TPS Hotline at 202-272-1533. (Please note that this is not a toll-free number.)