DHS Announces TPS Extension for Afghanistan

September 22, 2023

On September 21, 2023, The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced the extension and redesignation of Afghanistan for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for 18 months, from November 21, 2023 until May 20, 2025. In the news release announcing the designation, DHS noted the “ongoing armed conflict and extraordinary and temporary conditions in Afghanistan that prevent individuals from safely returning.” Approximately 3,100 current Afghan TPS beneficiaries and an estimated 14,600 additional Afghan nationals (or individuals without nationality who last habitually resided in Afghanistan) who entered the U.S. since the last TPS continuous residence date of March 15, 2022, will be eligible to apply for this TPS extension and redesignation.

Current Afghan TPS beneficiaries must re-register during the 60-day re-registration period from September 25, 2023 until November 24, 2023. First time Afghan TPS applicants must meet the eligibility requirements including continuously residing in the U.S. since September 20, 2023, and being continuously physically present in the U.S. since November 21, 2023.

A country may be designated for TPS when the Secretary of Homeland Security determines that conditions in the country temporarily prevent the country’s nationals from returning safely. The Secretary may designate a country for TPS due to temporary conditions such as: ongoing armed conflict, an environmental disaster, or other extraordinary and temporary conditions. Once a country has been designated for TPS, individuals who are TPS beneficiaries or eligible for TPS are not removable from the United States and can obtain employment authorization and/or travel authorization. Individuals granted TPS also may not be detained on the basis of their immigration status.

Please contact the immigration attorney at LHSCD working on your case with any questions about this TPS designation extension. To set up a consultation with one of our attorneys, please fill out our Consultation Request Form.

Written by: Andrew A. Fuller

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TAGS: Afghanistan, DHS, TPS