Afghanistan TPS Act of 2026

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 9899 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 9899

   To designate Afghanistan under section 244 of the Immigration and
 Nationality Act to permit nationals of Afghanistan to be eligible for
 temporary protected status under such section, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 23, 2026

 Mr. Crow (for himself, Mr. Liccardo, Ms. Salazar, Mr. Bacon, and Mr.
   Keating) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
                       Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

   To designate Afghanistan under section 244 of the Immigration and
 Nationality Act to permit nationals of Afghanistan to be eligible for
 temporary protected status under such section, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Afghanistan TPS Act of 2026''.

SEC. 2. DESIGNATION FOR PURPOSES OF GRANTING TEMPORARY PROTECTED
              STATUS.

    (a) Designation.--For purposes of section 244 of the Immigration
and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1254a), Afghanistan shall be treated as
if it had been designated under subsection (b)(1) of that section.
    (b) Period of Designation.--The initial period of the designation
referred to in subsection (a) shall be for the period beginning on the
date of the enactment of this Act and ending on July 1, 2029.
    (c) Receipt, Processing, and Adjudication.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary of Homeland Security shall--
                    (A) receive and process applications for temporary
                protected status, and applications for employment
                authorization in connection with such status, submitted
                by nationals of Afghanistan; and
                    (B) not later than 90 days after the date on which
                such application is received, complete the adjudication
                of such application.
            (2) Extension.--The Secretary of Homeland Security may
        extend, by not more than 150 days, the timeline for
        adjudication under paragraph (1)(B) with respect to an
        applicant, if the Secretary certifies to the Committee on the
        Judiciary of the House of Representatives and the Committee on
        the Judiciary of the Senate that, based on derogatory
        information specific to the applicant and in the interest of
        national security, additional time is necessary to evaluate the
        application.
    (d) Aliens Eligible.--As a result of the designation made under
subsection (a), an alien who is a national of Afghanistan is deemed to
satisfy the requirements under paragraph (1) of section 244(c) of the
Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1254a(c)), subject to
paragraph (3) of such section, if the alien--
            (1) has been continuously physically present in the United
        States since the date of enactment of this Act;
            (2) is admissible as an immigrant, except as otherwise
        provided in paragraph (2)(A) of such section, and is not
        ineligible for temporary protected status under paragraph
        (2)(B) of such section; and
            (3) registers for temporary protected status consistent
        with established procedures, including the--
                    (A) submission of biometric and biographic data;
                and
                    (B) completion of applicable criminal and national
                security background checks.
    (e) Consent To Travel Abroad.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary of Homeland Security shall
        give prior consent to travel abroad, in accordance with section
        244(f)(3) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C.
        1254a(f)(3)), to an alien who is granted temporary protected
        status pursuant to the designation made under subsection (a) if
        the alien establishes to the satisfaction of the Secretary of
        Homeland Security that emergency and extenuating circumstances
        beyond the control of the alien require the alien to depart for
        a brief, temporary trip abroad.
            (2) Treatment upon return.--An alien returning to the
        United States in accordance with an authorization described in
        paragraph (1) shall be treated as any other returning alien
        provided temporary protected status under section 244 of the
        Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1254a).
    (f) Fee Waiver.--The Secretary of Homeland Security shall permit
aliens to apply for a waiver of any fees associated with filing an
application for temporary protected status under section 244 of the
Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1254a) by a person who is
only eligible for such a status by reason of subsection (a).
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