On September 20, 2023 the Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas announced the extension and redesignation of Venezuela for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for 18 months due to the extraordinary conditions in Venezuela that prevent Venezuelans from returning to their country. It was determined that the extension and redesignation were warranted based on Venezuela’s increased instability and lack ozf safety due to enduring humanitarian, security, political, and environmental conditions. The redesignation provides temporary protection from deportation as well as employment authorization for Venezuelans in the United States before July 31, 2023.
Venezuelans applying must file the for I-821 Application for Temporary Protected Status along with Form I-765 Application for Employment Authorization. There are around 242,000 current beneficiaries of Temporary Protected Status from Venezuela now, and there is estimated to be around 472,000 Venezuelans who will now qualify with the redesignation.