News Release: Biden Administration Renews Temporary Protected Status for an estimated 500,000 Venezuelans

March 27, 2023,
Orlando, Florida

The Biden administration announced a proposed extension and redesignation of Temporary Protected Status for Venezuela for 18 months. It's important to emphasize that applications under this program cannot yet be filed until formal rules are published in the Federal Register.

However, based upon the redesignation, we expect the program to allow Venezuelans who arrived in the United States prior to July 31, 2023, to qualify for temporary protected status. This means that Venezuelans who were present in the United States on July 31, 2023, will be spared deportation and be eligible for work authorization and travel authorization with a document termed "advance parole." Also, Venezuelans who previously registered for TPS during the March 8, 2021, designation will also be eligible for an 18-month extension of the same benefits. To qualify for these benefits, Venezuelans must submit applications during the initial registration or re-registration period that will be published in the near future.

Among other expected requirements, to qualify Venezuelans must establish that they:

• Are citizens or nationals of Venezuela,
• Registered for Temporary Protected Status within the registration period.
• Were physically present in the United States on July 31, 2023,
• Are admissible to the United States (meaning they do not fall within a laundry list of persons who are ineligible to enter the United States),
• Have not been convicted of a felony, two or more misdemeanors, or any security-related serious offense, and
• Have not firmly resettled in a third country.

Even if you have an asylum application pending or another temporary application pending with our office, we strongly encourage you to contact our office to review your case and consider registering for TPS as a backup to your asylum application once the formal regulations are published.

It is important to understand that this benefit has strict filing and temporal requirements that should be reviewed with the careful guidance of an experienced immigration attorney. Our managing, Francisco Symphorien-Saavedra, is the only Venezuelan born attorney who is a Board Certified Expert in the State of Florida.

TPS for Venezuela is long overdue relief that will benefit hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans who have been the victims of one of the worst humanitarian displacements under an autocratic communist regime. If you need assistance in resolving your immigration status, you are strongly encouraged to contact our office for a consultation at 407-802-1717.