Venezuelans May Qualify for Temporary Protected Status in the United States
If you are in the United States from Venezuela, you’ll want to watch this video!
We mentioned this in a post on our Facebook page and sent out texts and emails when this was announced because it is important to get the word out. People from Venezuela can now apply for Temporary Protected Status in the US!
What is Temporary Protected Status?
Temporary Protected Status (TPS) is a temporary immigration status provided to nationals of certain countries experiencing problems that make it difficult or unsafe for their nationals to be deported. TPS has been a lifeline to hundreds of thousands of individuals already in the United States when problems in their home country make their departure or deportation untenable.
Why is TPS for Venezuelans so important?
President Trump had stopped deportations of Venezuelans the night before he left office because the political and economic environment has made Venezuela unstable and an unpleasant place to live to put it kindly. If you follow us on Facebook or Youtube, you know that Trump’s suspension of the deportation of Venezuelans did not go far enough. Sure, it Venezuelans from being deported, but they still could not legally work in the United States, and they had no path to getting legal status.
That changed on March 8, 2021, when the head of the Department of Homeland Security, Alejandro Mayorkas, announced that Venezuelans would now be allowed to apply for TPS (temporary protected status). TPS will give Venezuelans employment authorization to work in the US legally, and anyone from Venezuela can apply for TPS as long as they were in the US on or before March 8, 2021.
Act Fast to Get TPS!
Venezuelans who qualify must act fast. This is not an open-ended invitation. In fact, if you are from Venezuela and want to apply for TPS, you must do so within 180 days of the March 8th announcement, or the door may close.
If you qualify and want to apply for TPS, give us a call as soon as possible. We’ll tell you how to do it.
TPS is Not Enough for Venezuelan Immigrants
As immigrants ourselves, we do not think TPS goes far enough to help Venezuelan Immigrants. There is no indication that the situation in Venezuela is improving. In fact, many believe that it will take civil war before any change happens. In any case, it will be many years before the country is stable again. In the meantime, Venezuelans living in the United States will make it their home and begin to assimilate. Yet, as the name implies, Temporary Protected Status offers no permanent or even long-term solution for Venezuelan immigrants. Under TPS, every 18 months, the current President must reauthorize TPS, and Venezuelans will be required to reapply. TPS offers no path to permanent legal status and no path to US citizenship.
In the past, we have had immigrants living in the United States for 2 decades or more. They were settled in, had jobs, had kids, raised their kids, and for all practical purposes, were Americans. There is no reason to expect the situation will be any different for the Venezuelans. So, what will happen when their TPS is not reauthorized 20 years down the road? These hardworking, law-abiding, tax-paying people who have contributed to US society will be asked to leave the United States and return to a country they no longer know.
Let us help
No matter how you arrived in the United States or where you came from, there are dozens of ways to qualify for permanent legal status. You may already qualify and not even know it. If you do not have legal status in the United States, you need to have a plan to avoid deportation, protect your family, and find a path to getting legal. We are immigrants ourselves. Our attorneys have dedicated their lives to helping immigrants, and we want to help you too. Give us a call today or chat with us online; we will help you formulate a plan to solve your immigration problems and protect your family.
