Temporary Protected Status (TPS) is a government protection granted by the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to eligible foreign-born individuals who are unable to return home safely due to conditions or circumstances preventing their country from adequately handling the return.
When can the DHS Secretary designate a country for TPS?
The Secretary can designate a country for TPS due to:
- Ongoing armed conflict (such as a civil war);
- An environmental disaster (such as an earthquake or hurricane);
- An epidemic; or,
- Other extraordinary and temporary conditions.
Who is eligible for TPS?
TPS can be granted to an individual who is a national of a designated country, has filed for status during a specified registration period, and who has been continuously physically present in the U.S. since a designated date.
What are the benefits of TPS?
During a designated period, TPS holders are:
- Not removable from the U.S. and not detainable by DHS on the basis of his or her immigration status;
- Eligible for an Employment Authorization Document (EAD); and,
- Eligible for travel authorization.
How many individuals are currently granted TPS?
As of September 23, 2024, the U.S. provides TPS protections to about 863,880 individuals from the following 16 countries.
When do TPS designations expire?
The DHS Secretary can extend TPS after a review of country conditions. A decision concerning an extension must be made at least 60 days before the TPS designation is set to expire. The Secretary can extend the TPS designation for a six, 12 or 18-month period or decide to cancel the designation.
TPS extensions only apply to those who already have TPS status. Foreign nationals who arrive after the designated start date (i.e. “required arrival date”) are only made eligible for status if TPS is newly re-designated for their country.
| Designated Country | Required Arrival Date | Secretary’s Decision Due | Expiration Date | TPS Holders | TPS Eligible |
| Venezuela (2023) | 07/31/2025 | 02/01/2025 | April 7, 2025 (terminated) | ~ 100,000 (est.) | 472,000 |
| South Sudan | 09/02/2023 | 03/04/2025 | May 3, 2025 | 155 | ~ 280 |
| Afghanistan | 09/20/2023 | 03/21/2025 | May 20, 2025 | 8,245 | 17,700 |
| Cameroon | 10/05/2023 | 04/08/2025 | June 7, 2025 | 3,265 | 10,000 |
| Nepal | 06/24/2015 | 04/25/2025 | June 24, 2025 | 7,875 | ~ 14,500 |
| Honduras | 12/30/1998 | 05/06/2025 | July 5, 2025 | 54,290 | ~ 76,000 |
| Nicaragua | 12/30/1998 | 05/06/2025 | July 5, 2025 | 2,925 | ~ 4,000 |
| Haiti | 06/03/2024 | 06/04/2025 | August 3, 2025 | 200,005 | 474,000 |
| Venezuela (2021) | 03/08/2021 | 07/12/2025 | Sept. 10, 2025 | ~ 242,200 | 323,000 |
| Syria | 01/25/2024 | 08/01/2025 | Sept. 30, 2025 | 3,865 | 8,200 |
| Burma | 03/21/2024 | 09/26/2025 | Nov. 25, 2025 | 2,320 | 7,300 |
| Ethiopia | 04/11/2024 | 10/13/2025 | Dec. 12, 2025 | 2,330 | 12,800 |
| Yemen | 07/02/2024 | 01/02/2026 | March 3, 2026 | 1,840 | 4,000 |
| Somalia | 07/12/2024 | 01/16/2026 | March 17, 2026 | 555 | 4,900 |
| El Salvador | 03/09/2001 | 07/11/2026 | Sept. 9, 2026 | 180,375 | 232,000 |
| Sudan | 03/01/2022 | 08/20/2026 | Oct. 19, 2026 | 1,190 | 3,950 |
| Ukraine | 04/11/2022 | 08/20/2026 | Oct. 19, 2026 | 50,205 | 103,700 |
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On February 1, 2025, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem decided to terminate TPS protections for Venezuela under the 2023 designation. This move overturned a decision by the Biden administration to extend protections until October 2026. Secretary Noem’s decision ends access to TPS protections for up to 472,000 eligible individuals from Venezuela, including about 100,000 active TPS holders. On April 7, 2025, TPS holders under the 2023 designation for Venezuela will no longer have protection from deportation or be able to work legally in the U.S. For Venezuelans under the 2021 designation, TPS remains in place until September 2025, with a decision to extend the protections due in mid-July.
DHS announced on February 20 that Secretary Noem decided to amend the period of extension and redesignation of Haiti for TPS from 18 months to 12 months, with a new end date of August 3, 2025. Noem stated that the decision restores TPS to its “original status as temporary” and criticized the extension of Haiti and other countries at the end of the Biden administration as attempts to “tie the hands” of the Trump administration. Noem must still decide whether DHS will end TPS protections for Haiti, a decision that will impact close to half a million Haitians eligible for TPS.
What will happen to TPS holders whose countries’ designations were terminated?
Once TPS protection ends, a TPS holder will revert back to his or her previous immigration status. For those without legal status in the U.S., they will return to an undocumented status and potentially be subject to removal proceedings.
President Trump attempted to end TPS designations in his first administration for several countries, including El Salvador, Honduras, Nepal, Nicaragua, and Sudan. These decisions faced legal challenges. While the court cases were ongoing, federal courts generally permitted TPS holders to maintain their protections. On September 14, 2020, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit allowed the termination of TPS for El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Sudan to proceed. That decision was appealed and, once the Biden administration came into office in early 2021, settlement talks were initiated. On June 13, 2023, the Biden administration announced it was rescinding the Trump-era terminations.
Where do TPS holders live?
TPS holders reside all over the United States. As of September 23, 2024, the largest populations of TPS holders live in Florida (295,720), Texas (93,680), New York (67,840), California (67,800), New Jersey (31,480), and Georgia (29,630).
| TPS Holders by State of Residence | |||||
| # | State | TPS Holders | # | State | TPS Holders |
| 1 | Florida | 295,720 | 27 | Arizona | 3,095 |
| 2 | Texas | 93,680 | 28 | Arkansas | 2,950 |
| 3 | New York | 67,840 | 29 | Louisiana | 2,860 |
| 4 | California | 67,800 | 30 | Washington, D.C. | 2,860 |
| 5 | New Jersey | 31,480 | 31 | Missouri | 2,790 |
| 6 | Georgia | 29,630 | 32 | Oregon | 2,705 |
| 7 | Maryland | 28,700 | 33 | Alabama | 2,550 |
| 8 | Massachusetts | 27,780 | 34 | Wisconsin | 2,400 |
| 9 | Virginia | 26,080 | 35 | Kansas | 2,090 |
| 10 | North Carolina | 22,140 | 36 | Iowa | 2,005 |
| 11 | Illinois | 19,730 | 37 | Nebraska | 1,950 |
| 12 | Indiana | 18,775 | 38 | Rhode Island | 1,340 |
| 13 | Ohio | 12,775 | 39 | Mississippi | 675 |
| 14 | Pennsylvania | 11,955 | 40 | Idaho | 605 |
| 15 | Tennessee | 10,295 | 41 | New Hampshire | 520 |
| 16 | Utah | 10,215 | 42 | New Mexico | 510 |
| 17 | Washington | 9,500 | 43 | Maine | 455 |
| 18 | Colorado | 6,590 | 44 | South Dakota | 355 |
| 19 | South Carolina | 5,835 | 45 | North Dakota | 325 |
| 20 | Connecticut | 5,510 | 46 | West Virginia | 320 |
| 21 | Minnesota | 4,720 | 47 | Alaska | 315 |
| 22 | Nevada | 4,510 | 48 | Hawaii | 230 |
| 23 | Michigan | 4,000 | 49 | Montana | 155 |
| 24 | Kentucky | 3,225 | 50 | Wyoming | 130 |
| 25 | Delaware | 3,185 | 51 | Vermont | 80 |
| 26 | Oklahoma | 3,120 | # | Other/Unknown | 4,820 |
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How do TPS holders contribute to our economy?
TPS holders from El Salvador, Honduras, and Haiti contribute a combined $4.5 billion in pre-tax wages or salary income annually, as of April 2017. The total Social Security and Medicare contributions of those individuals is estimated at more than $6.9 billion over a ten-year span.
An estimated 130,000 TPS holders work as “essential critical infrastructure workers,” with more than 94 percent of TPS holders in the labor force as of 2017.
Updated March 2025
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