Resources Immigration and asylum
Other options: Temporary Protected Status, U and T visas, and Special Immigrant Juvenile status
Other legal statuses: who they are for, the main rules and fees.
This is general information, not legal advice: QARAVAN has no lawyers. QARAVAN does not help anyone enter the US and cannot arrange visas, invitations, sponsorship or evacuation. For your own case, talk to a licensed immigration attorney or a representative accredited by the U.S. Department of Justice.
Besides asylum, some people qualify for Temporary Protected Status (TPS), a U visa for crime victims, a T visa for trafficking victims, or Special Immigrant Juvenile status (SIJ) for minors who were abused. USCIS handles all of them.
A lawyer or accredited representative must decide whether any of these fits you.
Start here
- According to USCIS as of October 20, 2026, TPS covers only nationals of Lebanon, El Salvador, Sudan and Ukraine, and it does not lead to a green card.
- The U visa has a cap of 10,000 a year and a long line; the T visa is for trafficking victims.
- SIJ needs an order from a state juvenile court. Since May 10, 2026, filing an I-360 no longer brings deferred action.
Other routes that fit only some people
| Temporary Protected Status (TPS) | U visa | T visa | Special Immigrant Juvenile (SIJ) status | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Who it is for | Nationals of a country the US designated for TPS (and stateless people who last lived there) | Victims of certain crimes (the list of crimes and the conditions are on the USCIS page) | Victims of severe forms of trafficking in persons | Unmarried people under 21 with a state juvenile court order that reunification with one or both parents is not possible because of abuse, abandonment, neglect or similar reasons |
| Main form | I-821 (and I-765 for the work-permit card) | I-918 | I-914 | I-360 |
| Fee under the federal law Public Law 119-21 (H.R. 1) since October 16, 2026 | $520 for the application, $570 for the first card and $280 for a renewal | The amount is on the Fee Schedule (Form G-1055) | The amount is on the Fee Schedule (Form G-1055) | $250 |
| What matters in 2026 | Does not lead to a green card, but does not stop you applying for other statuses | The annual cap of 10,000 principal petitions for fiscal year 2026 was reached on September 5, 2026; since October 1, 2026 USCIS approves petitions starting with those filed on or before August 31, 2017 | From November 27, 2026 only the edition of the form dated September 14, 2026 is accepted | The 2022 deferred action policy was rescinded effective May 10, 2026 for forms filed on or after that date |
Temporary protection from removal and the right to work for nationals of countries the US considers unsafe to return to.
Check your country
According to USCIS as of October 20, 2026, TPS is in effect for nationals of Lebanon, El Salvador, Sudan and Ukraine. For El Salvador, Sudan and Ukraine no decision has been announced; until then, protection and work rights continue. Lebanon's TPS was automatically extended from May 28 to November 27, 2026. TPS has ended for many other countries.
Check the dates
You must prove continuous residence and presence in the US since the dates set for your country and file within the registration period (later only as an exception).
Check what could bar you
TPS is denied for a felony or two or more misdemeanors, inadmissibility, or the mandatory bars to asylum.
File Form I-821
For a work permit, also file form I-765. Form I-912 can waive regular fees but not H.R. 1 fees. Everyone over 14 gives fingerprints.
Do not leave without permission
To travel you need form I-512T or, while the application is pending, advance parole obtained before you leave. Leaving without it can cost you TPS.
How TPS and asylum fit together
TPS and asylum applications don't affect each other. If you held TPS until shortly before filing for asylum, that counts as an extraordinary circumstance for the one-year deadline (8 CFR 208.4(a)(5)(iv)). While you hold TPS and your year hasn't ended yet, the count of that year stops.
Find out whether the crime qualifies
The U visa is for victims of certain crimes, the T visa for victims of severe forms of trafficking. The list of crimes and the conditions are on the USCIS page.
Know the U visa cap
10,000 U visas a year go to principal applicants. The fiscal 2026 cap was reached on September 5, 2026; since October 1, 2026 USCIS is again approving petitions filed up to and including August 31, 2017. While a petition waits, a bona fide determination can bring a work permit and deferred action for people in the US who filed an I-918 after June 14, 2021.
T visa: where to file
From New York, mail form I-914 to the USCIS Elgin Lockbox: USCIS, Attn: I-914, P.O. Box 4221, Carol Stream, IL 60197-4221. The January 20, 2025 edition is accepted until November 27, 2026, then only the September 14, 2026 edition.
Learn about the work permit
A principal T visa applicant may work; the card comes after approval. If the T application was filed on or after August 28, 2024, ask for a bona fide determination card with form I-765 filed with the application (category (c)(40)).
Check the conditions
You must be unmarried and have a valid state juvenile court order that reunification with one or both parents is not possible because of abuse, abandonment, neglect or similar reasons under state law. All conditions are on the USCIS page.
File Form I-360
The H.R. 1 fee is $250.
Know about the rule change
The 2022 policy of granting deferred action to I-360 filers was ended for forms filed on or after May 10, 2026.
NYC Anti-Violence Project (AVP)
Any statusFree
AVP's lawyers help LGBTQ+ immigrants, people living with HIV included, with asylum, and survivors of violence or trafficking with U visas, T visas and VAWA self-petitions (the law protecting survivors of domestic violence). The first consultation is free. Requests go through the hotline, in English and Spanish, or the online Report Violence form at avp.org/get-help; a meeting with a lawyer is usually set within a week.
- TPS
- Temporary Protected Status, a temporary protection from removal and a right to work for nationals of certain countries; it does not lead to a green card.
- U visa
- A visa for victims of certain crimes.
- T visa
- A visa for victims of severe forms of trafficking in persons.
- Special Immigrant Juvenile (SIJ) status
- A status for people under 21 whom a state court has found in need of protection from abuse, abandonment or neglect.
- Deferred action
- A USCIS decision not to remove a person for a set time; it is not a status.
- Bona fide determination
- A preliminary USCIS finding that a petition is genuine; it can allow you to get a work-permit card while you wait.
- Juvenile court
- A state court that decides matters of custody and protection of children.
- USCIS
- U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the federal agency that decides immigration applications.
All pages: Immigration and asylum