New York City, Long Island & Westchester
TPS Lawyer in New York City
Temporary Protected Status protects nationals of designated countries from deportation and authorizes them to work legally. Mandi Law Group handles TPS registrations, renewals, EAD renewals, and pathways to permanent residence for TPS holders across the New York area. Call (518) 698-0347.
Check your country’s current status before you rely on it. TPS designations and re-registration windows change at short notice and several are in active litigation — a country designated last year may not be designated now, and re-registration periods are short. Confirm the current designation and deadline for your country on the USCIS Temporary Protected Status page, or call us and we will check it with you.
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Temporary Protected Status for New York Immigrants
New York City has one of the largest Temporary Protected Status populations in the United States. Tens of thousands of New Yorkers from El Salvador, Honduras, Haiti, Venezuela, Ukraine, and other designated countries rely on TPS for their legal status and work authorization. For some, TPS has been the only legal status they have had for 20+ years. Mandi Law Group represents TPS holders across all five boroughs, Westchester, and Long Island.
The communities are distinct and so are their cases. Salvadoran and Honduran TPS holders are concentrated in the Bronx, Queens, and the Long Island towns of Brentwood, Central Islip, and Hempstead, where many have U.S. citizen children now old enough to petition for them. Haitian families in Flatbush, Canarsie, and East Flatbush hold both long-standing and 2023-designation TPS. Nicaraguan TPS holders on Long Island have held status since 1999. Venezuelans who arrived after 2021 are spread across the city, and Ukrainians in Brighton Beach and Sheepshead Bay often hold TPS alongside Uniting for Ukraine parole.
Every TPS case turns on paperwork and dates. Initial registration and re-registration are filed on Form I-821, the work permit on Form I-765, and both must be received inside the window USCIS publishes in the Federal Register for that country. USCIS sometimes extends existing TPS work permits automatically through the same notice; when that happens, the notice rather than the card controls, and your employer can be shown the notice for Form I-9 purposes. If a window has been missed, late re-registration is possible with a written good-cause explanation. TPS holders who are also in removal proceedings appear at 26 Federal Plaza, and we handle both tracks together.
Call (518) 698-0347 to discuss your TPS renewal, EAD renewal, or pathway to a more permanent immigration status.
TPS Services for NYC Clients
TPS Initial Registration & Re-Registration
Initial TPS applications and re-registration renewals for all nationalities currently designated for Temporary Protected Status. USCIS opens registration periods for new TPS applicants and existing TPS holders on different schedules — missing a re-registration window can cause a lapse in work authorization. We track all TPS designation periods and file timely applications for all NYC-area clients.
TPS Work Permit (EAD) Renewals
Employment Authorization Documents (EADs) based on TPS must be renewed each time TPS is extended. Processing delays at USCIS have caused many TPS holders' EADs to expire while renewals are pending. We file timely EAD renewals and are prepared to seek automatic extension letters or expedite requests when processing delays create employment gaps.
El Salvador TPS — NYC's Largest TPS Population
El Salvador was designated for TPS in 2001, and that designation is currently set to expire on 9 September 2026. New York City's large Salvadoran community in the Bronx, Queens, and Brooklyn includes many long-term TPS holders. We handle TPS re-registration and advise on the pathways from TPS to permanent residence for Salvadoran clients with U.S. citizen or LPR family members.
Haiti, Honduras & Venezuela TPS
Haiti, Honduras and Venezuela have each been designated for TPS at different times, and each designation has since been extended, re-designated or terminated. TPS designations, terminations and re-registration windows change often and are frequently litigated, so confirm the current status for your country on the USCIS Temporary Protected Status page before relying on it. Several of these designations were the subject of termination notices and federal court challenges in 2025, and their status can change with a single Federal Register notice. We check the current designation, the current re-registration window, and any court order in effect on the day we file, and we tell you honestly if TPS is no longer available and what the alternatives are.
Ukraine, Afghanistan & Other Countries
Ukraine TPS was designated in 2022 following the Russian invasion; Syria, Sudan, South Sudan, Somalia, Yemen, and others have also been designated at various times, and Afghanistan's designation has been contested. We file TPS for Ukrainian nationals in Brighton Beach and Sheepshead Bay and for Afghan and other nationals across the city, and advise on related benefits such as Uniting for Ukraine parole and the paths from parole or TPS to permanent status.
TPS to Permanent Residence Strategies
TPS is temporary — it does not directly lead to a green card. However, many long-term TPS holders have pathways to permanent residence through family petitions, employment sponsorship, or special immigrant visa categories. We evaluate each TPS holder's full immigration history and family situation to identify the most viable route to permanent status, including I-601A waiver options for those who entered without inspection.
Frequently Asked Questions — TPS in NYC
Which nationalities currently have TPS designation for New York residents?
The list changes, and in 2025 it changed a great deal: the government announced terminations for several countries, some of which were paused or reversed by federal courts, and re-registration windows were shortened. Countries that have held designations relevant to New Yorkers include El Salvador (since 2001), Honduras (since 1998), Nicaragua (since 1999), Haiti (2010, re-designated 2021 and 2023), Venezuela (2021, re-designated 2023), Ukraine (2022), Syria, Sudan, South Sudan, Somalia, Yemen, Nepal, Ethiopia, Cameroon, and Afghanistan. Whether a designation is in effect today, and whether a court order is keeping it in effect, has to be checked against the Federal Register and the USCIS TPS page on the day you file. We do that check for every client before recommending a filing and tell you plainly if TPS is no longer an option and what is.
I am Salvadoran with TPS. My daughter was born here and is now 22. Can she petition for me?
Yes. Your U.S. citizen daughter who is 21 or older can file an I-130 immigrant petition for you as the parent of a U.S. citizen. Parents of U.S. citizens are 'immediate relatives,' meaning there is no per-country waiting list — a visa is available immediately upon I-130 approval. However, if you entered the U.S. without inspection (crossed the border), you generally cannot adjust status inside the United States and would need to depart for a consular interview. For TPS holders who entered without inspection, an I-601A provisional unlawful presence waiver may address the unlawful presence bar before departure. We advise Salvadoran TPS families on the full pathway from TPS to permanent residence.
My TPS was approved and I have an EAD. Can I travel internationally?
TPS holders can apply for advance parole (Form I-131) to travel internationally and return to TPS status. Without advance parole, departing the U.S. generally terminates your TPS and — if you have accrued unlawful presence — triggers reentry bars. You must apply for advance parole before traveling and must not depart until it is approved. There is ongoing litigation about whether return on advance parole from TPS constitutes an 'admission' for adjustment of status purposes — this is a rapidly evolving legal area with circuit splits. We advise on travel plans case-by-case to avoid losing TPS or creating new immigration bars.
I missed my TPS re-registration window. Is there anything I can do?
USCIS typically allows late re-registration with a showing of good cause for the delay. The late re-registration must be accompanied by a written explanation. Good cause can include serious illness, hospitalization, a death in the family, natural disaster, or lack of knowledge of the re-registration requirement. If your TPS was terminated for failure to re-register, you may be able to reopen the file with a motion. We advise TPS holders who missed registration deadlines on all available options and file motions to reopen or late registrations with supporting documentation.
How does TPS interact with the path to a green card for Venezuelans in NYC?
Venezuelan TPS was designated in 2021 and re-designated in 2023, and both designations were the subject of termination notices and litigation in 2025, so the first step in any Venezuelan case is confirming what is in effect today. TPS itself never leads directly to a green card. What it does is keep you in status and working while a permanent path is pursued: a family petition if you have a U.S. citizen or permanent resident spouse, parent, or adult child, or asylum on Form I-589 if you fear persecution on return, filed within one year of arrival unless an exception applies. Because TPS can end with a notice, Venezuelan clients in New York should have the second application on file rather than waiting.
Do you handle TPS cases for Long Island — Nassau and Suffolk County?
Yes. Salvadoran, Honduran, Nicaraguan, and Haitian TPS holders in Brentwood, Central Islip, Hempstead, Freeport, Westbury, and the surrounding towns make up one of the largest TPS populations in the state. Long Island residents file the same Forms I-821 and I-765, attend biometrics at the local application support center, and — if they are in removal proceedings — appear at 26 Federal Plaza in Manhattan rather than at a Long Island courthouse. Consultations are by phone or video; our office is in Latham, near Albany, and we travel to hearings and interviews in the city.
My TPS work permit expired but my re-registration is still pending. Can I keep working?
Often yes, but it depends on the paperwork rather than the card. When USCIS extends a country's TPS designation it frequently announces in the Federal Register that existing TPS-based work permits are automatically extended through a stated date, and a timely-filed Form I-765 renewal can also carry its own automatic extension. Your employer can complete Form I-9 using the expired card together with the Federal Register notice or the I-765 receipt notice. Which rule applies, and how long the extension runs, depends on your country and your filing date, so have it checked before you tell an employer anything.
Keep Your TPS Status Current — Never Miss a Re-Registration Window
TPS re-registration windows are time-limited. Contact Mandi Law Group to help keep your TPS and work permit current.