Temporary Protected Status

Overview

The Department of Homeland Security has extended the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Ukraine through October 19, 2026.

You are eligible for TPS if you are a Ukrainian national who arrived in the U.S. on or before August 16, 2023, have lived in the U.S. since and do not have convictions for serious crimes. Ukrainians who arrived in the U.S. on a tourist visa, humanitarian parole (including Uniting for Ukraine), or are in the process of removal or seeking asylum can apply for TPS. With the TPS status, you will remain in the US legally and may apply for work authorization and enroll your children in school. You may also travel outside the U.S. and return with a permission of the immigration service (“TPS Travel Authorization”).

Citizens of other countries that are not designated for TPS are NOT eligible for TPS! Even if they are close family members of Ukrainian citizens.

The cost of the initial TPS application is $500 plus $30 biometrics fee. An EAD based on TPS costs $1,020 when you apply online. If you want to request a partial fee waiver based on low income or financial hardship, you must submit the TPS and EAD forms together by mail along with form I-912 – Request for Fee Waiver. Reduced fee for the initial TPS application is $500 (only the biometrics fee is waived). Reduced fee for the EAD application is $550.

How to Apply for TPS

Fill out form I-821 – Application for Temporary Protected Status for each family member who is a Ukrainian citizen. The filing fee for the initial application is $500; re-registration is free. Add $30 for biometric services.

• In question “What is your reason for applying?” (question 1 of Part 1 on the paper form), select “Initial application” if this is your first TPS application and “Re-registration application” if you are extending your TPS.
• In question “Are you also filing a request for employment authorization?” (question 3 in Part 1 of the paper form), select “Yes, I am requesting an Employment Authorization Document” if you want to receive a TPS-based EAD. It is highly recommended to request an EAD together with the TPS application as you will receive it faster than if you apply for it separately.
• In question “What countries did you live in before coming to the United States?” (question 15 in Part 2, “Countries of residence” on the paper form), list all countries where you ever were a resident (lived long-term, worked, paid taxes).
• In question “Have you ever traveled to and entered a country other than your country of nationality or last habitual residence before you last entered the United States?” (question 1.c in Part 7 on the paper form), answer “Yes” if you entered any countries between the country of your previous residence and the United States.
• In the next question, list all countries you entered for more the 24 hours and the status you held in each country (e.g. visitor, temporary protected status, etc.). If you are filling out the paper form, use the last sheet or attach additional sheets if the responses about the countries you visited don’t fit. Print the applicant’s name on top of each additional sheet, indicate what section and question it responds to, and sign and date it.
• Carefully read and respond to the questions about immigration violations, affiliations, crimes and moral character (Part 7 of the paper form). If you have answered YES to any question, attach additional sheets with an explanation and a certified translation of all relevant police, court or other documents showing what happened. If you cannot attach official documents, provide a signed explanation of the reasons.
• In the Additional Information section, explain what makes you eligible for late filing. If you are filing a late initial TPS application, fill out the sections about your spouse and children. Explain whether you are currently in parole or have an application for re-parole, a change of status, an adjustment of status, or an asylum, whether you have a pending appeal, or whether you had parole, or any pending application or appeal within the last 60 days. If you are filing a late re-registration application, explain why you were unable to re-register timely.
• If you are applying for a child or another family member, indicate yourself as Preparer. Children 14 years old and older must sign their application themselves. A parent may sign for a child younger than 14 years old in the form of “Parent Name for Child Name”.

Attach the following documents only for initial TPS application:

1. A copy of the Ukrainian travel passport (all pages). The passport can be expired. If you are applying for a child who is glued into your passport, attach your passport with the child’s page;
2. A copy of I-94 showing your latest date of entry. Print it from the CBP website https://i94.cbp.dhs.gov/I94/#/recent-search. If you have a white paper card you received at the border, scan and attach front and back.
   • If you traveled outside the United States on advance parole document after August 16, 2023, attach form I-94 which you received at your last entry into the United States prior to August 16, 2023 and a copy of the advance parole.
3. Proof of continuous residence in the U.S.: a rental agreement, a utility bill in your name, the letter from a welfare agency or DMV showing your name and address or any other official documents showing that you currently live in the U.S. For children, you can submit their health insurance and medical records, school records. If you do not yet have any “official” documents, submit a letter explaining the situation and attach what you have: a free housing voucher, the letter from a friend or relative with whom you are staying or your correspondence with the landlord who allowed you to stay at their place;
4. Proof that you were in parole, or had an application for re-parole, change of status, adjustment of status or asylum, or had an appeal pending up until April 19, 2025 and that condition existed within the last 60 days of filing. If you are filing late as a spouse or child of a person eligible for TPS, provide information about that person, including their full name, A-number, number of I-94, citizenship, date of arrival, and a proof of relation.
5. If you are signing the form for a child below the age of 14, submit also a certified translation of the child’s birth certificate.

If you are re-registering for TPS late, submit evidence of good cause for not re-registering timely.

How to Apply for an EAD

If the applicant needs permission to work and has not yet applied for employment authorization, fill out form I-765 – Application for Employment Authorization Document indicating the (A)(12) eligibility category. See instructions for filling out this form in the Documents section. The filing fee for this the initial EAD is $1,020; renewal costs $745.

Submit the following documents with your I-765 form (if applying by mail together with TPS, you only need to enclose each document once):

1. A copy of the Ukrainian travel passport (all pages). The passport can be expired. If you are applying for a child who is glued into your passport, attach your passport with the child’s page;
2. A copy of I-94;
3. Front and back of your prior EAD (if any) or another valid document ID, such as unexpired passport or driver’s license;
4. A copy of your TPS approval or receipt notice, if you are submitting the EAD application separately from the TPS application.
5. A passport-type 2×2 photo (if applying via mail, enclose 2 photos);
6. If you are signing the form for a child below the age of 14, submit also a certified translation of the child’s birth certificate.

How to Apply for TPS Travel Authorization

If the applicant wants to be able to travel outside the U.S. while on TPS, submit also form I-131 – Application for Travel Document to receive a TPS Travel Authorization. This form can only be filed by mail. The filing fee for this form is $630. If you cannot afford the fee, you can file it with a request for fee waiver, but USCIS does not always approve fee waivers for this form.

Requesting a Partial Fee Waiver

If you cannot afford to pay the full fee, you may apply by mail with a partial fee waiver request. Fill out one form I-912 – Request for Fee Waiver for the entire household. Also fill out form G-1450 or G-1650 authorizing USCIS to charge your credit card or bank account for the reduced fee multiplied by the number of household members requesting TPS and EAD. Put Form I-912 along with form G-1450/G-1650 and the evidence supporting the fee waiver request on top of the applications for all family members for whom you are asking the fee waiver. Evidence for Form I-912 may include:

• a benefits verification letter from the social services showing you are receiving means-tested benefits such as Medicaid, food stamps or cash assistance;
• your last year’s tax return showing income less than 150% of federal poverty level; or
• a detailed explanation of financial hardship with evidence in the form of paychecks, bank statements, proof of monthly expenses, etc.

Mail all forms and supporting evidence to USCIS at the address for your state listed in the Where To File section on the USCIS TPS Ukraine page.

When USCIS receives your application, it will mail you a Receipt Notice. If you have filed the form online, you will typically receive a Receipt notice in the Documents section of your USCIS case within minutes of filing. If you filed the form by mail, you will receive Receipt Notice by mail within 2-4 weeks of filing. If you have not received a Receipt Notice within a month of submitting your application, call USCIS to make sure your application was received.

If You Have Already Had TPS

Re-registration period for Ukrainians who previously had TPS closed on March 18, 2025. If you have timely re-registered before that date, you maintain your TPS status without interruption (even while you are awaiting approval of your re-registration). You can use your prior TPS approval (form I-797A) and the receipt notice from re-registration application (form I-797C) as proof of your TPS.

If you failed to file an application for TPS re-registration before March 18, 2025, you can still do so, but you have to attach an additional letter showing good cause for failing to re-register timely. Good cause may include family and health issues, language barrier, lack of access to legal assistance and other reasons. For more information, see What To Do If You Missed the Deadline. If you fail to re-register timely without good cause, your TPS will be revoked.

To re-register, you must file form I-821 for TPS extension and form I-765 if you need a new TPS-based EAD. TPS re-registration application fee is $30. EAD renewal application fee is $745. If you cannot afford the full fee, you may request a partial fee waiver in which case you can submit the TPS re-registration application for free and will only have to pay $275 for the EAD.

Your previous TPS-based EAD (under C-19 or A-12 category) has automatically been extended for a year, until April 19, 2026, to give you time to apply for and receive a new EAD card.