TPS for Syrians: Eligibility, Filing, and 2026 Re-Registration

TPS for Syrians remains available in 2026, though its legal footing is unusual: the Department of Homeland Security tried to terminate Syria’s Temporary Protected Status designation effective November 21, 2025, and a federal judge blocked that termination two days earlier. Syrian nationals who meet the eligibility dates can still hold or apply for TPS, work legally, and avoid deportation while the case continues. Employment Authorization Documents tied to Syria’s designation have been administratively extended through at least July 1, 2026.¹

Where Syria’s Designation Stands Right Now

Syria was most recently extended and redesignated for TPS effective April 1, 2024, through September 30, 2025. In September 2025, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem determined that Syria no longer met the statutory conditions and published a termination notice in the Federal Register set to take effect November 21, 2025. That step would have stripped status and work authorization from more than 6,100 Syrian nationals.²

On November 19, 2025, a federal judge in the Southern District of New York issued a stay in Dahlia Doe v. Noem blocking the termination. That order keeps Syria’s TPS designation alive while the litigation proceeds. Eligible Syrian TPS holders retain their status and should not face deportation based solely on the attempted termination.²

Because everything currently rests on an active court order, the timeline can shift. A ruling for the government could restart the termination process; a ruling for the plaintiffs could preserve the designation longer. Check the USCIS Syria TPS page regularly.

Who Qualifies

Two dates control eligibility. You must have been continuously residing in the United States since January 25, 2024, and continuously physically present since April 1, 2024. The residence date tracks the most recent redesignation announcement; the physical presence date matches when the redesignation took effect.²

You must also be a Syrian national, or a person without any nationality who last lived in Syria. This covers people who entered on any visa type as well as people who now lack valid immigration status. Arriving after January 25, 2024 disqualifies you regardless of nationality.³

Brief, casual, and innocent trips abroad do not automatically break continuous residence or physical presence. Keep documentation for any travel, including dates and reasons.⁴

What Disqualifies You

Even applicants who meet every date and nationality requirement can be barred by their record. Two separate categories apply.

The Criminal Bar

You are ineligible for TPS if you have been convicted of any felony or two or more misdemeanors committed in the United States. For TPS, a felony is any crime punishable by more than one year in prison, with one exception: if the state classifies the offense as a misdemeanor and the sentence actually imposed was one year or less, it counts as a misdemeanor. Any crime carrying a maximum sentence of five days or less counts as neither a felony nor a misdemeanor.⁵

This bar is absolute. There is no waiver, and it applies regardless of when the conviction occurred.

Inadmissibility Grounds

Separately, TPS applicants must be admissible or qualify for a waiver. Some grounds cannot be waived for TPS: drug trafficking, terrorist activity, threats to national security, participation in Nazi persecution or genocide, crimes involving moral turpitude, and multiple criminal convictions with combined sentences of five years or more.⁵

Several grounds that block other immigration benefits do not apply to TPS at all, including unlawful presence and entry without inspection. You do not need to file a waiver for those. Other grounds can be waived. If you have a potentially waivable ground, such as a single conviction for possessing a small amount of marijuana, talk to an immigration attorney before assuming you are shut out.

Forms and Documents You Need

The core application is Form I-821, Application for Temporary Protected Status. Filing Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization, at the same time gets you a work permit. Both forms are on the USCIS website and can be submitted together as a single package.⁶

Proof of Nationality

You need to show you are Syrian, or stateless and last lived in Syria. Acceptable evidence includes a passport, birth certificate, or national identity card. Any document not in English needs a complete certified translation, with the translator signing a statement that they are competent to translate and that the translation is true and accurate.⁷

Professional translation of a single-page identity document usually runs between $18 and $70, depending on the provider and language pair. A bilingual friend can translate too, but the same certification rules apply.

Proof of Residence and Physical Presence

This is where applications tend to stumble. Build a paper trail showing you have been in the United States since January 25, 2024, and physically present since April 1, 2024. Useful records include a lease or rent receipts, utility bills, school records, pay stubs and other employment records, medical records, and letters from community or religious organizations confirming your presence.⁸

Your own testimony carries some weight, but documents are far more persuasive. Start gathering records now. The more months you can cover with dated documents, the stronger your case.

Filing Fees and Fee Waivers

USCIS overhauled its fee structure in April 2024 and made additional inflation adjustments effective January 1, 2026. Old fee figures still circulating online ($50 for Form I-821, $85 biometrics, $410 for Form I-765) no longer apply. Under the 2024 fee rule, the separate biometrics fee for TPS dropped from $85 to $30, and TPS is one of the few categories that still carries a standalone biometrics fee.⁹

Because USCIS adjusts certain fees annually, check the current fee schedule on the USCIS website before you file. Submitting the wrong amount will get your application rejected outright, and that rejection can cost you weeks.⁶

If you cannot afford the fees, request a fee waiver by filing Form I-912 with your application. You qualify if you currently receive a means-tested government benefit, your household income is at or below 150 percent of the Federal Poverty Guidelines, or you can show financial hardship. You only need to meet one of those three. Supporting documents vary: a benefit award letter for the first, tax returns or pay stubs for the second, and a detailed explanation with financial records for the third.¹⁰

One trap to avoid: if USCIS denies your fee waiver and the re-registration deadline is close, re-file immediately with payment rather than waiting. A denied fee waiver does not preserve your filing date.

Filing and What Happens Next

You can file online through a USCIS account or by mailing your package to a designated lockbox. Online filing gives you an immediate receipt number and digital tracking. Paper filers must use the correct lockbox address for their state; the wrong address means the package comes back.⁴

After USCIS accepts your filing, you get a Receipt Notice. The next step is usually a biometrics appointment at a local Application Support Center for fingerprints, a photograph, and a signature. USCIS uses this for background checks and to produce your Employment Authorization Document if approved.¹¹

During review, USCIS may send a Request for Evidence if something is missing or unclear. Miss the response deadline and the case can be denied on the incomplete record. Open every USCIS letter promptly and keep your mailing address current in the agency’s system.

Travel Outside the United States

Leaving the country without permission is one of the fastest ways to lose TPS. Before any trip abroad, file Form I-131, Application for Travel Documents, and wait for approval. USCIS issues a travel document that authorizes your return.¹²

Even with the right paperwork, travel carries risk. If you are abroad when USCIS sends a Request for Evidence or issues a decision, you can miss critical deadlines. The Department of Homeland Security also retains discretion at the border. Travel while your initial application is still pending is especially risky and should not be done without legal advice.

Re-Registration in 2026

TPS is not one-and-done. Every time the government extends or redesignates a country, current TPS holders must re-register during the announced window to keep status. Re-registration means filing a new Form I-821, plus Form I-765 if you want to renew your work permit. Missing the window can create gaps in your work authorization.⁴

USCIS may accept late re-registration for good cause, shown in a letter explaining the delay. The regulations do not define good cause precisely, so filing on time is the safer play.¹³

The situation for Syria is unusually uncertain right now. USCIS has not announced a new re-registration period because the government’s position is that the designation should have ended. The court order keeping TPS alive does not by itself open a new registration window. Watch the USCIS Syria TPS page and filings in Dahlia Doe v. Noem for updates.

What TPS Does and Doesn’t Do

TPS is a temporary shield against deportation with work authorization attached. It does not lead to a green card or citizenship on its own. Holding TPS does not stop you from pursuing other immigration benefits separately.

If you qualify for an immigrant visa through a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident family member, or through an employer, you can pursue adjustment of status while holding TPS. Eligibility depends on factors like how you entered the country and whether you have ever worked without authorization. In several federal circuits, courts have held that a grant of TPS counts as an “admission” for adjustment purposes, but the law varies by jurisdiction. Get advice specific to where you live.

TPS also affects the one-year asylum filing deadline. Having TPS is considered an extraordinary circumstance that pauses the one-year clock, as long as the year had not already run out before TPS was granted.²

If you have any basis for asylum, refugee status, or a family- or employment-based petition, explore those routes while you have TPS. A benefit that can be ended by a Federal Register notice leaves you exposed in exactly the way the current litigation shows.

1
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Update on Termination of Temporary Protected Status for Syria
2
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Temporary Protected Status Designated Country: Syria
3
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Secretary Mayorkas Announces Extension and Redesignation of Syria for Temporary Protected Status
4
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Temporary Protected Status
5
eCFR. 8 CFR Part 244 – Temporary Protected Status for Nationals of Designated States
6
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I-821, Application for Temporary Protected Status
7
eCFR. 8 CFR 1003.33 – Translation of Documents
8
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Policy Manual Volume 12 Part D Chapter 4 – Physical Presence
9
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Frequently Asked Questions on the USCIS Fee Rule
10
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I-912, Request for Fee Waiver
11
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Preparing for Your Biometric Services Appointment
12
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I-131, Application for Travel Documents, Parole Documents, and Arrival/Departure Records
13
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Guidance for TPS Beneficiaries Filing Late Re-Registration Applications