Sponsors (9)
The bill provides short-term legal status, work authorization, and limited travel protections for Venezuelan nationals (with fee-waiver options) while leaving beneficiaries with only temporary relief and some exclusions, and it improves PAYGO transparency but creates procedural risks if the required Chair statement is mishandled or politicized.
Venezuelan nationals continuously present in the U.S. gain 18 months of temporary lawful status and work authorization, reducing immediate risk of deportation and allowing legal employment.
Beneficiaries can obtain prior permission for brief emergency travel abroad and return without jeopardizing their U.S. presence, preserving family- and humanitarian-related travel options.
DHS may charge a $360 application fee but must provide fee waivers, which can reduce financial barriers for low-income applicants and improve access for poorer households.
Venezuelan beneficiaries have only an 18-month temporary designation, creating substantial uncertainty about their long-term immigration status when that period ends.
Applicants designated under this provision must pay an additional $360 application fee (unless they obtain a waiver), imposing a direct cost that may burden many individuals.
Individuals who are inadmissible or otherwise ineligible under existing law remain excluded and cannot benefit from the designation, leaving some long-present Venezuelan nationals without relief.
Based on analysis of 3 sections of legislative text.
Treats Venezuela as if designated for TPS for 18 months from enactment, allowing eligible Venezuelan nationals present on that date to register for TPS-like protections and authorizing 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
Provides Temporary Protected Status (TPS)-like treatment for Venezuelan nationals in the United States for 18 months starting on the date of enactment, letting eligible Venezuelans register for TPS benefits subject to existing inadmissibility rules and DHS registration. Directs DHS to allow emergency travel with advance consent and treats returning travelers like other TPS beneficiaries; authorizes DHS to charge a one-time $360 application fee for applicants eligible only because of this designation but requires DHS to allow fee waivers. States that the budgetary effects will follow the PAYGO statement submitted by the House Budget Committee chairman prior to passage. The bill operates by treating Venezuela as if designated under the existing TPS statute rather than by changing the statute text directly.