One of the privileges under TPS is the ability to obtain a work permit. If a person’s temporary protection status is approved, they will also be issued an employment authorization document.

Yes. The sponsorship for a green card would depend on the situation of each applicant. For example, I have clients who are under temporary protected status, and if they get married, their spouses are able to file a petition. Then, they can do an adjustment of the status. Employment petitions, on the other hand, are a lot more difficult. Normally, employment petitions require that the person maintain their lawful status in the United States. There are some exceptions by which some people could apply for employment based petitions, but that’s a lot more complicated and they are not very common.

Having TPS does not necessarily mean that a person will get a green card. Some people have been on TPS for 15 or 20 years without obtaining a green card. If they qualify for a green card based on other factors, then they may apply for it. But TPS, by itself, is not going to give a person a green card or a legal permanent status.

No, a person cannot travel outside of the United States before their application has been approved. If they did, their application would be abandoned and they would not be allowed to come back to the United States. On the other hand, if the application has already been approved and the person is on their temporary protected status, then they can apply for an advance parole. With the advance parole, the person is able to travel outside of the United States assuming that they don’t have any criminal problems or previous deportation orders. With advance parole, they can travel outside of the United States and come back.

Yes. At the end of every TPS cycle when the government extends or re-designates a country for TPS, the person normally has 60 days to file another application to extend their TPS. It’s very important that the person applies for the extension of TPS. If a person fails to apply for the TPS during the registration period, it will be cancelled, and they will not be able to renew it.

The best way to check the status of the application is through the USCIS website www.USCIS.com Usually, a person is able to check the status of their case on that website. If a person calls immigration and provides their case number, an officer will be able to give them some information about the status of their case. The number is 1 800 375 5283.

When a person is in removal proceedings, they could be deported from the United States. A DD authorizes a person to remain in the United States because they are not a priority for being deported. Oftentimes it happens for humanitarian reasons or health-related issues. For example, an applicant may have to stay in the United States if someone in the family is very sick and needs to receive medical treatment in the United States. Although the person could be deported, the government decides not to enforce it.

Yes. As long as the person was inside of the United States before their country was designated for temporary protected status, the person can qualify regardless of the way that they entered the United States.