The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is following a court order issued on March 31, 2025, by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. This order postpones the termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Venezuelans under the 2023 designation. As a result, the previous protections set by former Secretary Mayorkas remain in place.
What This Means for Venezuelan TPS Holders
- If you are a Venezuelan national under the 2023 TPS designation and have a work permit (EAD) with a category of “A12” or “C19” that expires on September 10, 2025, April 2, 2025, March 10, 2024, or September 9, 2022, your EAD is automatically extended until April 2, 2026. You do not need to take any action for this extension.
- You may be eligible for an even longer automatic extension of up to 540 days if you apply to renew your EAD (Form I-765) between January 17, 2025, and September 10, 2025. However, no automatic extension will go beyond October 2, 2026.
- Venezuelans under the 2021 TPS designation remain protected until September 10, 2025.
- Agencies that require proof of work authorization should accept these automatically extended EADs. The extension will remain valid until April 2, 2026, unless the court changes its ruling.
- If you have a pending or approved TPS application, you may qualify for certain public benefits, such as REAL ID driver’s licenses and government-issued identification cards. When applying for benefits, you must provide proof of your TPS status.
- Employers must verify the work authorization of Venezuelan TPS beneficiaries for them to continue working beyond April 2, 2025.
Legal Challenge and Next Steps
The government has appealed this decision to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and is asking for a stay of the order. If the stay is granted, DHS may move forward with ending TPS for Venezuelans.