Temporary Protected Status (TPS) is a humanitarian designation made by the President of the United States for the benefit of people who could not safely return to their countries due to armed conflict, a natural disaster, an epidemic, or other extraordinary conditions. It has been U.S. policy since the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1990.

TPS Committee with banner, May Day 2019
MIRA is proud to collaborate with the Massachusetts TPS Committee and other grassroots leaders.

Once a country has been designated for TPS, eligible nationals have a limited time to apply for protected status, which comes with work authorization and eligibility for a driver’s license and other benefits. TPS can be granted for six, 12, or 18 months at a time and can be renewed an unlimited number of times.

The most recent data available from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services indicates that there are 535,075 TPS holders living in the U.S. as of November 2022, an increase of nearly 200,000 people from February 2022. This number, however, doesn’t include the thousands more who have only recently become eligible for TPS and who are expected to apply or are in the process of applying. Massachusetts is home to 17,135 TPS holders, and this number is expected to grow significantly as individuals from Ukraine, Afghanistan and Haiti residing in the state continue to receive TPS under the more recent designations.

Key resources:

MLRI’s Information Sheet/FAQ on TPS for Haitians (Feb. 2023)

MIRA factsheet on TPS (Updated December, 2022)

Countries currently designated for TPS

National TPS Alliance website

Fiscal Impact on the American Economy by Asylees and Refugees 2005-2019

CAP analysis of Dream & Promise Act-eligible populations in key cities & counties