Temporary Protected Status Assistance

Frequently Asked Questions

• What is TPS?

  It is a temporary legal status for migrants living in the US that allows them to live, work, travel and go to school for the duration of the 18-month designation period, where they will be protected for deportation/removal. Immigrants must apply and be approved for the protections to be in place. It is not automatic. This protection also applies for individuals in detention, removal or have a deportation order.

  Florida is home to 15% of all TPS recipients living in the US, with Miami-Dade being home to the majority of all eligible TPS recipients from Haiti, Venezuela and Honduras.
  

  • Visit U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services

• How do I qualify for TPS?

  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 or re-registration period, or you meet the requirements for late initial filing during any extension of your country’s TPS designation (Late initial filers see ‘Filing Late’ section below)
  • Have been continuously physically present (CPP) in the United States since the effective date of the most recent designation date of your country
  • Have been continuously residing (CR) in the United States since the date specified for your country. (See your country’s TPS web page to the left). 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.

  To be granted any other immigration benefit you must meet all the eligibility requirements for that particular benefit. An application for TPS does not affect an application for asylum or any other immigration benefit and vice versa. Denial of an application for asylum or any other immigration benefit does not affect your ability to register for TPS, although the grounds of denial of that application may also lead to denial of TPS.

• How do I get help applying for TPS?

  Miami-Dade County has opened a TPS Application Assistance Office at the Joseph Caleb Center where you can receive free legal assistance Monday through Thursday from 10-3 p.m. You can call 305-636-1010 or email [email protected] for more information.

   

  Free Monthly Clinics – Every 3rd week of the month, in partnership with non-profit organizations, pro-bono attorneys and volunteers, there will be 3-day TPS clinics where you can receive free legal assistance.

• What countries have been recently designated or re-designated for TPS?

  Keep up to date with the latest updates regarding TPS