TPS Is Ending: Legal Options to Get Permanent Status

Last Updated: July 2026

If you hold Temporary Protected Status (TPS), the ground shifted under you on June 25, 2026. The Supreme Court cleared the way for the government to end TPS for some countries, and it limited the ability of courts to review those decisions. For many families who have lived and worked here legally for years, the question is now urgent: what comes next?

TPS was never a green card. It is temporary protection from deportation and a work permit, not permanent status. But that does not mean you are out of options. Depending on how you entered the country and your family, work, or safety situation, there may be a separate path to permanent residence.

Below we lay out what the ruling actually changed and the real pathways that may still be open to you, calmly and without hype:

• What the Supreme Court decided and who is affected
• Whether TPS can ever lead to a green card
• Family, employment, asylum, and crime-victim pathways
• What happens if TPS ends and you have nothing else
• The concrete steps to take now

Our team at Law Group International works with TPS holders across Virginia, Washington D.C., and Maryland to build a legal plan before protection lapses. Let us start with the ruling itself.

What the Supreme Court’s TPS ruling means for you

On June 25, 2026, the Supreme Court decided Mullin v. Doe, a case about whether courts can pause the termination of TPS for people from Syria and Haiti. In a 6 to 3 decision, the Court held that the TPS statute bars judicial review of most challenges to a termination. In plain terms, when the government decides to end TPS for a country, the courts usually cannot second-guess that choice.

The decision directly affects roughly 350,000 people from Haiti and about 6,000 from Syria, and it sends a signal about the entire program, which covers about 1.3 million people from many designated countries. The Court left open a limited possibility for certain constitutional challenges, but it rejected the arguments presented in this case.

One important point about timing. The ruling removed the court orders that had been blocking these terminations, so the government can now move forward, and for Haiti and Syria the protection is ending on the dates set in USCIS guidance rather than at some distant future point. Because those dates are country-specific and can still shift, treat this page as a starting point and confirm your country’s current status and deadlines on the official USCIS TPS page right away. So the message is simple and urgent: do not wait for a termination date to start planning your alternatives.

Can TPS holders get a green card?

The short answer is that TPS by itself does not lead to a green card, but a separate pathway might. Under federal immigration law, TPS is considered temporary protection. Having TPS does not mean you are considered a permanent resident or automatically eligible for a green card.

What TPS can do is help with one technical requirement. The statute at section 1254a(f)(4) says that, for adjustment of status, a TPS holder is treated as maintaining lawful nonimmigrant status. That matters because one of the bars to a green card is falling out of status, and TPS can solve that particular problem. It does not, however, solve every requirement, as the next section explains.

Eligibility turns on details that are easy to get wrong, so the smart move is to have an attorney map your specific facts to a pathway instead of assuming TPS alone is enough.

Family-based pathways: how you entered matters

The most common route to a green card is a family petition, usually from a U.S. citizen spouse, parent, or adult child who petitions for you as an immediate relative. Whether you can complete that process inside the United States, though, depends heavily on how you entered.

If you entered with inspection, for example on a visa or with parole, and later received TPS, you may be able to adjust status inside the country under INA section 245(a) if you are otherwise eligible. This is often the cleanest path.

If you entered without inspection, the law is more difficult. In Sanchez v. Mayorkas (2021), the Supreme Court held that a grant of TPS is not an “admission.” That means TPS alone does not satisfy the “inspected and admitted or paroled” requirement to adjust status, so many people who entered without inspection cannot simply adjust here based on TPS.

This single distinction, inspection versus no inspection, decides which door is open to you, which is why a general answer online can be misleading. For people who entered without inspection, options may still exist, such as consular processing with a waiver of unlawful presence, or in some situations travel on advance parole, but each carries real risk and must be planned carefully. Before you file anything, sit down with an attorney to pin down exactly how you entered. You can read more about the two routes in our guide to adjustment of status vs consular processing.

Employment-based pathways

Do you have an employer willing to sponsor you? An employment-based green card is a separate route that does not depend on TPS. The typical path runs through a labor certification (PERM), then an I-140 petition, then either adjustment of status or consular processing.

These cases take time, often several years depending on your category, your country of birth, and your priority date. The same entry rule from the family section applies here: if you entered without inspection, adjusting inside the United States may not be available, and you may need to process abroad, which raises unlawful-presence issues. Because the timeline is long, starting early matters, ideally while your TPS work authorization is still valid, so a sponsorship can mature before your protection ends.

Asylum or withholding of removal

If it is unsafe to return to your country, you may have an asylum claim that stands entirely apart from TPS. This is especially worth examining for Syrian nationals and others from countries with ongoing conflict or persecution.

Two points shape this option:

• Asylum generally has a one-year filing deadline from your last entry under INA section 208(a)(2)(B), but there are exceptions, including changed country conditions and extraordinary circumstances. Long-term TPS holders often worry the deadline has passed; an attorney can assess whether an exception applies to you.
• Withholding of removal under INA section 241(b)(3) has no filing deadline. It is harder to win than asylum and gives fewer benefits, but it can prevent return to a country where you would face persecution or torture.

These cases depend heavily on the specific facts of your situation, including what happened to you and the conditions in your home country. Our overview of the asylum process in the United States explains how a claim works.

VAWA and U visa options

Some TPS holders qualify for protection based on harm they have suffered, and these routes are also independent of TPS.

• VAWA allows certain spouses, children, and parents who were abused by a U.S. citizen or permanent resident to self-petition without the abuser’s involvement. See our guide to VAWA immigration protection.
• The U visa is for victims of certain crimes who cooperated with law enforcement, and it can lead to a green card over time. Learn more in our U visa guide for crime victims.

Does either situation describe you? If so, ask for a confidential conversation with an attorney, since these cases need sensitive handling and specific evidence.

What happens if TPS ends and you have no other status

If your TPS ends and you have not secured another status or pending case, the consequences are concrete. You would lose your work authorization, which means losing the legal right to work. You could also be placed in removal proceedings, where the government seeks a deportation order.

In some situations, voluntary departure can be a strategic choice rather than a defeat, because leaving on your own terms may protect future options better than a removal order does. That is a decision to make with counsel, not alone. You can weigh the trade-offs in our guide to voluntary departure vs deportation. Well before any deadline, put a legal plan in place so you are never forced to decide under pressure.

Steps to take now

You do not need to have every answer today, but this is the time to start planning. The earlier you understand your options, the more choices you may have. These steps protect your options while you explore them.

• Consult an immigration attorney now, while you still have time and work authorization, to identify which pathway fits your facts.
• Gather your documentation, including tax returns, employment records, proof of family relationships, and evidence of your time in the country.
• Do not let your TPS renewal lapse while you explore other options; keep your current protection alive as long as it is available.
• Do not leave the country without legal advice, because travel can trigger bars that close off the very options you are trying to preserve.

If your case has stalled in government processing, our article on green card delays in the United States explains why that happens and what you can do.

Frequently asked questions

Can I still renew my TPS?

In many cases yes, at least for now, but it depends on your country’s current designation and any court developments. Because the situation is changing, confirm your country’s status on the USCIS TPS page and keep your renewal current while it remains available. Letting protection lapse when you did not have to can leave you exposed, so treat renewal as a priority even while you explore permanent options.

Will I be deported immediately when TPS ends?

Not automatically. Losing TPS does not by itself produce an instant deportation, but it can lead to removal proceedings, where the government must still go through the immigration court process. That window is exactly when a separate pathway or a defense can matter most. Every case is different, so speak with an attorney as soon as you see a termination affecting your country.

Can I apply for asylum if I already have TPS?

Possibly. Asylum is a separate claim, and holding TPS does not prevent you from filing. The main hurdle is usually the one-year deadline, but exceptions exist for changed circumstances and other situations. An attorney can review when you entered, what has changed in your country, and whether an exception opens the door for you.

Does my U.S. citizen child help me get a green card?

Only in a limited way, and not right away. A U.S. citizen child can petition for a parent only after the child turns 21. Even then, whether you can adjust status inside the country depends on how you entered, because of the Sanchez v. Mayorkas rule discussed above. A citizen child can be part of a long-term plan, but it is rarely an immediate solution.

The end of TPS is a problem you can plan around

The end of TPS for a country is frightening, especially for families who built a life here in good faith. But the ruling in Mullin v. Doe does not decide your individual future. Your entry history, your family, your work, and your safety situation determine which door is open, and several of those doors have nothing to do with TPS at all.

At Law Group International, guiding immigrants toward a permanent path sits at the heart of our practice, and we represent clients throughout Virginia, Washington D.C., and Maryland. Our attorneys Khalid Shekib and Daniela Lucena can review how you entered, weigh every pathway, and build a plan before your protection ends.

 

This article provides general information and does not constitute legal advice. Every immigration case is different, and the law may change. For guidance on your particular situation, consult a licensed immigration attorney.

 

Official sources:

• Mullin v. Doe, No. 25-1083 (June 25, 2026): https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/25pdf/25-1083_f204.pdf
• Sanchez v. Mayorkas, 593 U.S. 409 (2021), No. 20-315: https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/20pdf/20-315_q713.pdf
• Temporary Protected Status statute, 8 U.S.C. 1254a: https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/8/1254a
• Adjustment of status, INA section 245, 8 U.S.C. 1255: https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/8/1255
• USCIS, Temporary Protected Status: https://www.uscis.gov/humanitarian/temporary-protected-status
• Immigrant Legal Resource Center, Sanchez v. Mayorkas analysis: https://www.ilrc.org/resources/sanchez-v-mayorkas-tps-and-adjustment-after-supreme-court’s-decision

Last updated: July 2026.