Summary#
This bill would give certain Iranian nationals in the United States temporary protected status (TPS) and work authorization because U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) paused adjudication of many Iran-related immigration applications beginning in December 2025. The bill treats Iran as if it were designated under section 244(b)(1)(C) of the Immigration and Nationality Act for eligible people and limits the designation to those who meet the bill's rules.
Key provisions in the bill include:
- An initial TPS designation lasting 18 months from enactment, with possible 6‑month extensions while the adjudication pause or its conditions continue. An automatic 6‑month extension occurs if DHS does not decide to extend at least 60 days before the designation ends.
- Eligible individuals must be Iranian nationals, lawfully present or admitted, have filed a covered benefit application before or during the adjudication pause that went unadjudicated because of the pause, be physically present in the U.S. on the date of enactment, and have been continuously present since December 2, 2025.
- Criminal and national‑security bars apply; officials, agents, or others complicit in serious human rights abuses or corruption are excluded, as are certain immediate family members who knowingly benefited from illicit activity.
- The Secretary of Homeland Security must begin deciding TPS applications within 30 days of enactment and finish each decision within 90 days of receiving an application. The application fee may not exceed the existing TPS fee.
- DHS must issue an interim employment authorization document (EAD) within 30 days of a TPS application, valid for 180 days unless the applicant is found ineligible. A final EAD is issued if TPS is granted and matches the designation period.
- The automatic extension period for existing EADs affected by the pause would be extended for the duration of the pause plus 180 days. The bill states there should be no gap in work authorization and protects employers from liability for hiring people during such gaps.
- Filing for TPS under this bill would not hurt pending or future immigration applications, would not be treated as unlawful presence, and would not be used as a basis for removal. DHS must set up a process for advance parole (permission to travel) for TPS recipients.
- DHS must report to the House and Senate Judiciary Committees every 90 days on paused applications, TPS filings, approvals, denials, and processing times. DHS must publish an interim final rule within 30 days and a final rule within 180 days after public comment.
What it means for you#
If you are an Iranian national in the U.S. who filed an application that USCIS paused, this bill would let you apply for TPS if you: were lawfully present, are physically in the U.S. on enactment day, and have been continuously present since December 2, 2025. You could get interim work authorization within 30 days of filing and a final work permit if TPS is granted. Your TPS filing would not count as unlawful presence and would not automatically harm other immigration applications you have pending.
Expenses#
No publicly available information. The bill text requires DHS to adjudicate applications, issue work permits, extend automatic EAD periods, prepare reports, and issue rules, but it does not include a cost estimate or specify funding.
Proponents' View#
Supporters in the bill's findings say the combination of armed hostilities with Iran, a December 2025 USCIS adjudication pause, and a campaign of repression inside Iran created extraordinary temporary conditions that make return unsafe for affected Iranians. They argue the measure prevents unjust hardship for people who filed applications in good faith, preserves U.S. economic and scientific benefits from Iranian‑born professionals, protects applicants from penalties caused by government delays, and distinguishes ordinary Iranian people from the Iranian regime.
Opponents' View#
No publicly available information.