Ukraine Temporary Protected Status: Eligibility, Filing, and Work Rules

Ukraine Temporary Protected Status is currently designated through October 19, 2026, but both registration windows tied to that extension have closed, and any new filing now depends on USCIS accepting it as a late initial registration for good cause.¹ If you meet the nationality and residency dates, aren’t blocked by a criminal or security bar, and can document a reason for filing late, you may still be able to secure protection and work authorization for the remainder of the designation period.

Where the Registration Windows Stand

The Department of Homeland Security extended Ukraine’s TPS designation in January 2025 for another 18 months, covering April 20, 2025 through October 19, 2026.² Two filing windows applied, and both have already ended:

Initial registration for people who had never held Ukraine TPS ran from August 21, 2023 to April 19, 2025.¹
Re-registration for existing TPS holders ran from January 17, 2025 to March 18, 2025.²

A missed deadline is not automatic denial. USCIS has discretion to accept a late initial application if you can show good cause. You submit a written explanation with your application and attach supporting documents. Circumstances that may qualify include serious illness or hospitalization, a death in the family, homelessness, a language barrier that prevented you from learning about the deadline, or receiving incorrect information about TPS. USCIS has not published an official list, so there is no guarantee, and the strength of your written explanation matters.

Who Qualifies

Eligibility rests on one nationality requirement and two date-based residency requirements set by the federal TPS statute.³

You must be a Ukrainian national, or a person without any nationality who last habitually resided in Ukraine. You prove this with a valid Ukrainian passport, a birth certificate paired with photo identification, or another government-issued identity document containing your photo or fingerprint.⁴

You must also have lived continuously in the United States since August 16, 2023, and have been continuously physically present since October 20, 2023.¹ Continuously does not mean you could not leave at all. Short, unintentional, and harmless trips outside the country will not break either requirement, but you have to show your primary home stayed here.³

Uniting for Ukraine Parolees

If you entered through the Uniting for Ukraine humanitarian parole program, the same dates apply to you. Arrivals before August 16, 2023 who have remained in the country since may qualify. Arrivals after that date cannot meet the continuous residence requirement under the current designation.¹

Dual Nationality

Holding citizenship in another country besides Ukraine is not an automatic disqualifier, provided you can demonstrate Ukrainian nationality. USCIS may look more closely if you previously entered the U.S. or applied for immigration benefits using a non-Ukrainian passport. The question is whether Ukraine is your operative nationality for immigration purposes.

What Can Disqualify You

Even applicants who meet every residency and nationality requirement can be barred. These bars are mandatory and cannot be waived.

You are ineligible if you have been convicted of any felony or two or more misdemeanors committed in the United States.³ A felony for TPS purposes is any crime where the maximum possible sentence exceeds one year, regardless of the sentence actually imposed. A single misdemeanor is not disqualifying; a second one is, and the convictions do not need to be related.

You are also ineligible under the firm resettlement bar if, before arriving in the United States, you were offered permanent resident status, citizenship, or another form of lasting legal status in a third country. The statute uses the same firm resettlement standard applied in asylum cases.

The general inadmissibility grounds also apply, including terrorist activity, membership in prohibited organizations, persecution of others, and threats to national security.⁵ These issues surface during the fingerprint-based background check.

How to File

The primary application is Form I-821, Application for Temporary Protected Status.⁶ File Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization, at the same time if you want a work permit.¹ You can submit both online through the myUSCIS portal or by mail to the correct lockbox address for your state, which is listed on the USCIS Ukraine TPS page.

Assemble these documents:

Proof of identity and nationality: a valid Ukrainian passport is strongest. A birth certificate with photo ID or a Ukrainian national identity document with your photo or fingerprint also works.
Proof of residence covering the required period: leases, utility bills, employment records, school enrollment records, or similar records showing your name at a U.S. address.
Entry information: your Alien Registration Number and Social Security Number if previously issued, the date you last entered the United States, and the port of entry.

Ukrainian documents not in English need certified translations. Professional translation typically runs $25 to $40 per page.

Fees and Waivers

The biometric services fee for Form I-821 is $30. Additional fees apply to the I-821 filing itself and to Form I-765. Fee amounts change, so check the current USCIS fee schedule before filing.⁷

If you cannot afford the fees, file Form I-912 for a waiver. Eligibility generally requires household income at or below 150% of the federal poverty guidelines.⁸ You can also qualify by showing you receive a means-tested benefit or by documenting financial hardship even if your income is slightly above the threshold.

After You File

USCIS will issue a Form I-797C receipt notice and, in most cases, schedule a biometrics appointment for fingerprints, a photograph, and a signature. Missing that appointment without rescheduling, or failing to answer a Request for Evidence, will likely result in denial.

If you move at any point after filing, report the new address to USCIS within 10 days, either through your USCIS online account or by paper Form AR-11.⁹ Missed notices from an outdated address can end a case.

Work Authorization

TPS by itself does not authorize work. You need an Employment Authorization Document, obtained through Form I-765.¹ Once your application is approved and the fee is paid or waived, USCIS issues a new EAD valid through October 19, 2026.

Existing Ukraine TPS EADs with expiration dates of April 19, 2025 or October 19, 2023 were automatically extended through April 19, 2026 by the January 2025 Federal Register notice.¹ No action is required, but employers may need to see the Federal Register notice to verify continued work authorization, so keep a copy on hand. Applicants who filed Form I-765 during the re-registration period may also qualify for an automatic 540-day extension from the expiration date on their existing EAD while the renewal is processed.

Traveling Outside the United States

Leaving the country without advance permission from USCIS is one of the fastest ways to lose TPS or sink a pending application.¹⁰ File Form I-131, Application for Travel Document, before you leave, and wait for USCIS to approve and issue the document before departing. The fee is $630 for a paper filing or $580 online.⁷ Processing times vary, and an emergency trip without an approved document carries the same consequences as any other unauthorized departure.

What Happens When the Designation Ends

TPS does not lead to a green card or any other permanent status.¹⁰ When the designation reaches October 19, 2026, DHS will either extend or redesignate Ukraine, or the designation will expire and beneficiaries will revert to whatever status they held before.

If the designation is not renewed, you would need another lawful basis to remain in the country. Some TPS holders pursue employer-sponsored visas, family-based petitions, or asylum during their time under TPS. Without another basis for legal status, expiration can lead to removal proceedings, so evaluating other options well before the end date, ideally with an immigration attorney, keeps choices open while there is still time to act.

1
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Temporary Protected Status Designated Country: Ukraine
2
Federal Register. Extension of the Designation of Ukraine for Temporary Protected Status
3
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 8 USC 1254a – Temporary Protected Status
4
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Instructions for Application for Temporary Protected Status
5
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 8 USC 1182 – Inadmissible Aliens
6
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I-821, Application for Temporary Protected Status
7
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. G-1055, Fee Schedule
8
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. HHS Poverty Guidelines for Fee Waiver Request
9
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. AR-11, Alien’s Change of Address Card
10
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Temporary Protected Status