The Department of Homeland Security, or DHS, announced Wednesday, March 16, 2022, that they have designated Temporary Protected Status for Afghanistan, which will allow for over 74,000 Afghan nationals already living in the United States to apply for protection from deportation. 

This designation comes just 6 months after the United States withdrew the last of its troops from Afghanistan. Afghan evacuees entered the US under a two-year humanitarian classification known as parole, which left many of them without a legal option to obtain permanent residency and put them at risk for facing deportation if their asylum claims were rejected. 

What Will The Temporary Protected Status Accomplish?

This TPS designation will help to protect Afghan nationals who have already been living in the United States from returning to unsafe conditions, which have been prevalent in Afghanistan since the Taliban takeover on August 15, 2021. Since this takeover, Afghanistan has been left with a critical food shortage and childhood malnutrition which is greatly affecting their population’s health. 

Afghans living in the US on or before March 15, 2022 are eligible to apply for protection from deportation. They must already be living in the US and pass a background check to qualify for the program. The Temporary Protected Status will last for up to 18 months, and will additionally provide employment authorization for applicants who are approved. Those who try to travel into the US after March 15, 2022, will not be eligible. 

To register or re-register for TPS you must file Form I-821, Application for Temporary Protected Status. For more information regarding registering for TPS, please visit the USCIS website.