On Wednesday, March 16, the Department of Homeland Security announced the designation of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Afghanistan for 18 months.
The TPS designation is based on the ongoing armed conflict and extraordinary and temporary conditions, including a collapsing public sector, a worsening economic crisis, drought, food and water insecurity, lack of access to healthcare, internal displacement, human rights abuses and repression by the Taliban, destruction of infrastructure, and increasing criminality in Afghanistan.
TPS will apply only to those individuals who are already residing in the United States as of March 15, 2022, and meet all other requirements, including undergoing security and background checks. Those who attempt to travel to the United States after March 15, 2022, will not be eligible for TPS.
The 18-month designation of TPS for Afghanistan will go into effect on the publication date of the forthcoming Federal Register notice. The Federal Register notice will provide instructions for applying for TPS and an Employment Authorization Document.
Key Highlights
- To be eligible for TPS under this designation, individuals must demonstrate that they have resided in the United States since March 15, 2022.
- Afghanistan’s 18-month designation will go into effect on the publication date of the forthcoming Federal Register notice. The Federal Register notice will provide instructions for applying for TPS and an Employment Authorization Document (EAD).
- TPS applicants must meet all eligibility requirements and undergo security and background checks.
- Through Operation Allies Welcome, most Afghan nationals who arrived as part of the evacuation effort were paroled into the United States on a case-by-case basis, for humanitarian reasons, for two years, and received work authorization. These individuals may also be eligible for TPS.
Erickson Insights
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