Sponsors (10)
The bill temporarily protects many Venezuelan nationals from removal and grants work authorization and limited travel flexibility while imposing application costs and leaving long-term status and some ineligible individuals unresolved; it also standardizes a PAYGO statement to improve budget transparency but creates a single-point political dependency that can introduce timing and politicization risks.
Venezuelan nationals continuously present in the U.S. gain 18 months of temporary lawful status and work authorization, reducing immediate deportation risk and allowing them to work legally.
Eligible beneficiaries can obtain prior consent for brief emergency travel abroad and return without jeopardy, preserving family and humanitarian travel options.
DHS may charge a $360 application fee but must provide fee waivers, which can reduce financial barriers for low-income applicants who otherwise could not apply.
Venezuelan beneficiaries face uncertainty about long-term status because the lawful designation is temporary (18 months), risking a return to irregular status or removal after expiration.
Applicants eligible only under this designation must pay an extra $360 fee (unless waived), imposing a direct cost that could burden many low-income individuals.
The designation excludes individuals inadmissible or otherwise ineligible under existing law, so some long-present Venezuelan nationals will still be unable to benefit.
Based on analysis of 3 sections of legislative text.
Designates Venezuela for 18 months of TPS, allowing eligible Venezuelan nationals present on enactment to apply and authorizing DHS to collect a $360 application fee (with waivers).
Official title: To designate Venezuela under section 244 of the Immigration and Nationality Act to permit nationals of Venezuela to be eligible for temporary protected status under such section, and for other purposes.
Introduced May 8, 2025 by Darren Michael Soto · Last progress May 8, 2025
Treats Venezuela as if designated for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for 18 months from the date of enactment, allowing Venezuelan nationals continuously present in the U.S. to be eligible to apply for TPS under existing statute and rules. It requires DHS to permit emergency travel and treat returning travelers like other TPS beneficiaries, allows DHS to charge a one-time $360 application fee for applicants eligible solely under this designation while permitting fee waivers, and applies a PAYGO budgetary statement for the bill's budget effects.