On July 21, 2021, USCIS made the following announcement regarding the availability of online filing for certain TPS applicants.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced today that certain Temporary Protected Status (TPS) applicants can now file Form I-821, Application for Temporary Protected Status, online.
TPS applicants submitting an initial registration application may apply for TPS online if they are eligible nationals of Burma, Somalia, Syria, Venezuela or Yemen or individuals without nationality who last habitually resided in one of those countries.
Applicants may file Form I-821 as a standalone form or concurrently with Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization. These applications will be the first forms available for concurrent filing online.
To file Form I-821 online, eligible TPS applicants must first visit my.uscis.gov to create a USCIS online account. This free account offers a variety of features, including the ability to communicate with USCIS about their application, through a secure inbox.
At this time, the option to file Form I-821 online is only available to initial TPS applicants from Burma, Somalia, Syria, Venezuela, and Yemen. All other initial TPS applicants and current beneficiaries who are re-registering under the extension of a TPS designation must continue to file a paper Form I-821. If an initial applicant or re-registrant who is not eligible files Form I-821 online, we will deny the application and retain the fee.
We will conduct public engagements and post engagement materials online to ensure eligible TPS applicants are familiar with the features of an online account, including how to apply for TPS online.
Improvements to USCIS technology are enabling more applicants to submit their requests online. Over the past four years, the overall number of forms filed online has increased significantly. In fiscal year (FY) 2018, 553,728 forms were filed online, compared to FY 2020 when we saw over one million filings, and we are now on track to surpass the one million filings for FY 2021.
By offering online filing for Form I-821, we continue to make the process of applying for immigration benefits more efficient, secure and convenient for more applicants.
We are committed to using innovation and technology to meet the needs of all applicants and petitioners. As we continue our transition to paperless operations, we will work to expand online filing of Form I-821 to re-registrants and additional countries.
Applicants who file a paper Form I-821, or any other USCIS form, can still create an online account to track the status of their form throughout the adjudication process, even if they did not file the form online.
USCIS now has 12 forms available to file online which can all be found on our Forms Available to File Online page.