The United States has become the second nation worldwide to offer Temporary Protective Status (TPS) for Venezeulans. This is incredible news for the over 300,000 Venezeulans who fled an oppressive and unsafe situation in their home country and are now living in the United States. Central Florida is said to have the highest concentration of Venezeulans in the nation, so this new policy is likely to bring positive change for many Florida residents.

What is TPS?

Temporary Protective Status is designated by the Department of Homeland Defense in situations in which a person is no longer able to return safely to their home country, or where their home country is experiencing a crisis and is unable to accommodate them. If an individual is granted TPS, they are authorized to live and work in the United States and are given a social security number.

Qualifying for TPS

In order to qualify for TPS there are some basic qualifications that must be met. First, the individual applying must be unable to return to their home country, lack a home country, or be a citizen of a country designated for TPS (such as Venezuela). Further, the individual must have been residing and continually present in the United States since the designation date for their country. There may be some exceptions made to the continuous presence criteria, if absences were only due to brief or casual trips.

The criteria that disqualifies the most applicants is that an individual must not have two or more misdemeanor convictions in the United States. Additionally, if an individual would not qualify as an immigrant due to criminal or security grounds, then they will also not qualify for TPS. Likewise, if an individual would not qualify for asylum, for instance, due to participating in a terrorist activity, they will not qualify for TPS.