S. 5490: To designate Ukraine under section 244 of the Immigration and Nationality Act to provide certain nationals of Ukraine with continued eligibility for temporary protected status, and for other purposes.

This bill would extend Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for certain people from Ukraine who are already in the United States. TPS is a temporary immigration status that can allow eligible people to stay in the U.S. and apply for work authorization when conditions in their home country make it unsafe to return.

What the bill does

• It would treat Ukraine as newly designated for TPS starting October 20, 2026, after the current designation expires on October 19, 2026.
• The new designation period would run until July 1, 2029.
• It would apply to:
  • Ukrainian nationals, and
  • People with no nationality who last lived in Ukraine.
• To qualify, a person would generally have to:
  • have continuously lived in the United States since the bill becomes law,
  • have been physically present in the U.S. since that date,
  • be otherwise eligible under TPS rules, and
  • register in the manner set by the Department of Homeland Security.

If passed after the new start date

• If the bill becomes law after October 20, 2026, it would apply retroactively to that date.
• People who qualify would not be considered to have accumulated unlawful presence in the U.S. during that retroactive period.

Government processing rules

• The Department of Homeland Security would have to accept and process TPS applications and related work authorization requests from eligible Ukrainians and certain former residents of Ukraine.
• The department would have to decide each application within 90 days of receiving it.

Travel outside the United States

• The bill would require DHS to give permission for brief travel abroad in emergency or extenuating circumstances for people granted TPS under this designation.
• People allowed to travel and return would be treated like other TPS holders when they come back to the U.S.

Other provision

• The bill includes a standard severability clause, meaning if one part is struck down by a court, the rest would remain in effect.

Relevant Companies

None found