TPS Venezuela Application

Frequently Asked Questions for TPS as a Venezuelan

• What exactly is TPS?
• Temporary Protected Status or TPS is a designation made by the U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security. According to the U.S. Citizenship &, Immigration Services (USCIS), they may “designate a foreign country for TPS due to conditions in the country that temporarily prevent the country's nationals from returning safely” like the following:
  • Ongoing armed conflict (such as civil war)
  • An environmental disaster (such as earthquake or hurricane)
  • An epidemic
  • Or other extraordinary &, temporary conditions
  In order to qualify for TPS, these Venezulan nationals must have already been living in the U.S. before March 8, 2021. Once granted TPS, you will be eligible for employment authorization &, protection from deportation. Keep in mind TPS is a temporary benefit &, does not lead to a green card or any other immigration status. TPS, however, does not prevent you from applying for another immigration benefit if you are eligible. If you are currently applying for or waiting for results on asylum, TPS will not impact that process.

• What are the eligibility requirements for TPS?
• • You must be a national of Venezuela or a person without nationality who last resided in Venezuela
  • You must file during the open initial registration period, which is 180 days
  • You must have started residing in the U.S. on or before March 8, 2021

• What could make you ineligible for TPS?
• • You have been convicted of a felony
  • You have been convicted of two or more misdemeanors in the U.S.
  • You are found inadmissible as an immigrant under the Immigration &, Nationality Act section 212(a). This refers to serious crimes like persecution of another individual or engaging in or inciting terrorist activity
  • You don’t meet the residency requirements
  • You don’t file your TPS within the 180-day window

• How do I file my TPS?
• You can file your TPS online through SimpleCitizen. Otherwise, you can file it using USCIS guides found here. You will need to submit Form I-821, Application for Temporary Protected Status &, Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization. As part of the USCIS application process, you will go through a security &, background check.

• What evidence do I need to provide?
• In order to file a TPS application, USCIS requests evidence to determine eligibility. The following documents are required as part of your TPS application:
  • Evidence to show your identity as a Venezuelan. This could be a passport, your birth certificate with photo identification, or any national identity document bearing your photograph or fingerprint. You can also include secondary evidence like religious records, school records, hospital records, etc. If you don’t have any of these documents, you will need to submit an affidavit with proof of attempts to obtain the proper documents, an explanation letter why they were unavailable &, affirming that you are Venezulan.
  • Evidence to show you’ve resided in the U.S. prior to March 8, 2021. This could be your passport stamp, I-94 Arrival/Departure Record, employment records, school records, rent or utility records, religious records, or hospital records.

• Where do I send my application?
• If you live in Florida, you can send your application to the following addresses:
  • For U.S. Postal Service, use this address:
    USCIS
    PO Box 20300
    Phoenix, AZ 85036
  • For FedEx, UPS, &, DHL deliveries, use this address:
    USCIS Attn: TPS Venezuela (20300)
    1820 E. Skyharbor Circle S Suite 100
    Phoenix, AZ 85034
  If you live anywhere else in the U.S., you should send your application to the following address:
  • For U.S. Postal Service, use this address::
    USCIS
    PO Box 805282
    Chicago, IL 60680
  • For FedEx, UPS, &, DHL deliveries, use this address::
    USCIS Attn: TPS Venezuela (805282)
    131 South Dearborn - 3rd Floor
    Chicago, IL 60603-5517

• What are the fees?
• You will need to submit government fees as part of your application, you can calculate those fees using the USCIS fee calculator found here.

• Anything else?
• If you have any other questions, please reach out to SimpleCitizen Support. We are here to help you through the entire application process.