Coleman Jackson, P.C. | Transcript of Legal Thoughts Podcast
Published April 26,2021.

Legal Thoughts is a podcast presentation by Coleman Jackson, P.C., a law firm based in Dallas, Texas serving individuals, businesses, and agencies from around the world in taxation, litigation and immigration legal matters.

This particular episode of Legal Thoughts is a podcast where the Attorney, Coleman Jackson is being interviewed by Reyna Munoz, Immigration Legal Assistant of Coleman Jackson, P.C.   The topic of discussion is “Immigration Matters You Ought to Know About: United States Temporary Protected Status designation for Venezuelans residing in the United States on March 8, 2021”. You can listen to this podcast by clicking here:

You can also listen to this episode and subscribe to Coleman Jackson, P.C.’s Legal Thoughts podcast on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Spotify, Cashbox or wherever you may listen to your podcast.

TRANSCRIPT:

ATTORNEY:  Coleman Jackson
Legal Thoughts
COLEMAN JACKSON, ATTORNEY & COUNSELOR AT LAW

ATTORNEY:  Coleman Jackson

Welcome to Immigration Thoughts

• My name is Coleman Jackson, and I am an attorney at Coleman Jackson, P.C., a taxation, litigation, and immigration law firm based in Dallas, Texas.
• Our topic for today is: Immigration Matters You Ought to Know About: United States Temporary Protected Status designation for Venezuelans residing in the United States on March 8, 2021. Other members of Coleman Jackson, P.C. are Yulissa Molina, Tax Legal Assistant, Reyna Munoz, Immigration Legal Assistant, Leiliane Godeiro, Litigation Legal Assistant and Mayra Torres, Public Relations Associate.
• On this “Legal Thoughts” podcast our immigration legal assistant, Reyna Munoz, will be asking the questions and I will be providing the answers to the questions on this very important immigration topic: Immigration Matters You Ought to Know About: United States Temporary Protected Status designation for Venezuelans residing in the United States on March 8, 2021.

Interviewer:  Reyna Munoz, Immigration Legal Assistant

• Hi Attorney, thank you for joining me today and for taking the time to answer a few questions that I have in regard to the recent USCIS announcement about designating Venezuela Temporary Protected Status.

Question No. 1

Attorney, can you tell me, what this is about?

Attorney Answers Question 1:

• Hi Reyna, yes what you heard is correct! On March 8, 2021, Secretary Mayorkas designated Temporary Protected Status or TPS for Venezuela. What this does is it allows Venezuelan nationals that are currently residing in the United States to file an initial application for TPS.

Interviewer:  Reyna Munoz, Immigration Legal Assistant

Question 2:

That is great news attorney, I’m sure that this will help a lot of Venezuelan nationals. How long do Venezuelan nationals get to have this new Temporary Protected Status?

Attorney Answers Question 2:

• Reyna, the TPS designation for Venezuelans is currently for a period of 18 months. That is it currently ends in September 2022.

Interviewer:  Reyna Munoz, Immigration Legal Assistant

Question 3:

Why was this TPS designation for Venezuelans made at this time?

Attorney Answers Question 3:

• TPS was designated for Venezuela because of the extraordinary and temporary conditions that prevent Venezuelan nationals from returning safely to their home country. The extreme and harsh conditions that currently confronts Venezuela are:
• Hunger and malnutrition and lack of basic essentials for safety and security and human dignity
• A growing influence and presence of non-state armed groups
• Repression and recrimination by state actors, their enablers, and other bad people
• A crumbling Venezuelan infrastructure

Interviewer:  Reyna Munoz, Immigration Legal Assistant

• That is very interesting information attorney. It sounds like TPS for Venezuelans is a humanitarian response to dangerous times for our neighbors in Venezuela.

Question No. 4:

Who is eligible to apply for Temporary Protective Status under the new Venezuelan TPS designation?

Attorney Answers Question 4:

• That is a very thoughtful and insightful question, Reyna, those individuals who are nationals of Venezuela who can demonstrate continuous residence in the United States as of March 8, 2021 are eligible to apply for Temporary Protected Status under this TPS designation. That means they must have been physically residing in the United States on March 8, 2021.
• These TPS applicants will also have to go through security and background checks to determine their eligibility for TPS.
• It’s extremely important that Venezuelans residing outside of the United States do not fall for scams and other misinformation from smugglers or others claiming that the border is now open. They must have been residing in the U.S. on March 8, 2021.  People should not risk their lives, or their families lives and health with false information that they can come from Venezuela now and claim TPS. This TPS designation is limited to Venezuelan nationals and is not applicable to citizens from other South American countries.
• Furthermore, due to the coronavirus pandemic, travel and admission restrictions remains in full force and effect on the U.S. border.

Interviewer:  Reyna Munoz, Immigration Legal Assistant

Question 5:

• Thank you for explaining this in such a comprehensive manner, attorney. It is very important that people understand that:
• they must be a Venezuelan national to be eligible for TPS under the Venezuelan TPS designation; and
• they must have been residing in the United States on March 8, 2021;
• Question No. 5:
• When and how can eligible individuals apply for TPS?

Attorney Answers Question 5:

• Those that would like to file an application for TPS will have to submit an application within the 180-day registration period, that is, March 9, 2021 through September 5, 2021. Keep in mind that they have to be able to show continuous residence in the United States since March 8, 2021 and continuous physical presence in the United States since March 9, 2021.
• Form I-821 Application for Temporary Protected Status will have to be filed with USCIS and if the individual wishes to apply for employment authorization, they will have to file Form I 765. Furthermore, if a ground of inadmissibility applies, then Form I 601, Application for Waiver of Grounds of Inadmissibility will also have to be filed with the TPS package.

Interviewer:  Reyna Munoz, Immigration Legal Assistant

• Thank you for that information, attorney.

Question No. 6:

What sorts of evidence will need to be submitted to USCIS in support the TPS application?

Attorney Answers Question 6:

• The individual can expect to submit evidence such as identity and evidence to demonstrate that they are a national of the designate country such as:
  • A copy of their passport
  • A copy of their birth certificate
  • Any national identity that includes a photograph and/or fingerprint issued by their country
• The immigrant can also expect to submit entry evidence such as:
  • A copy of their passport; and
  • I-94 Arrival/Departure record
• Finally, continuous residence evidence will also have to be submitted. This could be evidenced by such documents and information as the following:
  • Employment records
  • Rent receipts, utility bills, receipts or letters from companies
  • School records
  • Hospital records
  • Attestations by church, union, or other organization officials

Interviewer:  Reyna Munoz, Immigration Legal Assistant

• I’m sure a lot of people that are expecting to apply for TPS will find this information very helpful, attorney.

Question No. 7:

Is there a fee to apply for TPS?

Attorney Answers Question 7:

• As of March 10, 2021, if the immigrant is applying for Venezuelan TPS and is between ages of 14 and 65 years old and they are applying for an employment authorization card, then the filing fee for the I-821 is $50, the biometric fee is $85, and the I-765 fee is $410 bringing the total USCIS filing fee to $545. These fees could be changed by the government with little notice.
• Under certain facts and circumstances the TPS applicant can file Form I-912, Application for Fee Waiver in these TPS cases.

Reyna Munoz’s Concluding Remarks:

• Thank you for this detailed explanation of the new TPS designation for Venezuelan nationals, attorney. Hopefully, many of our Legal Thoughts Podcast listeners or their friends from Venezuela will find this update on the new TPS designation for Venezuelans very helpful.
• Our listeners who want to hear more podcast like this one should subscribe to our Legal Thoughts Podcast on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Spotify or wherever they listen to their podcast for more taxation, litigation, and immigration Legal Thoughts podcasts. Everybody take care!  Read our taxation, government contract litigation and immigration law firm’s blogs at www.cjacksonlaw.com.  Coleman Jackson, P.C., is located right here in Dallas, Texas at 6060 North Central Expressway, Suite 620 Dallas, Texas 75206.
• English callers: 214-599-0431 | Spanish callers:  214-599-0432 | Portuguese callers:  214-272-3100.

Attorney’s Concluding Remarks:

THIS IS THE END OF “LEGAL THOUGHTS” FOR NOW

• Thanks for giving us the opportunity to inform you about “Immigration Matters You Ought to Know About: United States Temporary Protected Status designation for Venezuelans residing in the United States on March 8, 2021.” If you want to see or hear more taxation, litigation and immigration LEGAL THOUGHTS from Coleman Jackson, P.C. Stay tuned! We are here in Dallas, Texas and want to inform, educate, and encourage our communities on topics dealing with taxation, litigation and immigration.  Until next time, take care.