MANILA, Philippines – To allow Filipinos to help in rehabilitation efforts after Super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan), the Philippines formally requested the United States to grant it immigration relief through a temporary protected status (TPS).

The Philippines made this request on Friday, December 13, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said.

In a statement on Monday, December 16, Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario said placing the country under TPS “will allow eligible Filipinos to stay and work in the US in order for them to assist in the country’s continuing recovery efforts.” A TPS will allow undocumented Filipinos to work legally and help their families financially, particularly those affected by Yolanda.  

“The request will be evaluated first by US authorities and may take some time. If approved, eligible Filipinos can start filing their applications which will be reviewed on a [case-by-case] basis,” the DFA said.

The DFA said that if the US grants this request, the Philippines will join El Salvador, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Honduras “that were placed under TPS after going through similar natural disasters.”

On its website, the US Department of Homeland Security said the department secretary “may designate a foreign country for TPS due to conditions in the country that temporarily prevent the country’s nationals from returning safely, or in certain circumstances, where the country is unable to handle the return of its nationals adequately.” 

The TPS is granted to eligible foreign nationals who already live in the US. It is also given to those “without nationality who last resided in the designated country.”

A TPS beneficiary cannot be detained on the basis of his or her immigration status in the US. After a protected status of up to 18 months, a beneficiary may seek to legalize or change his or her immigration status, but is not guaranteed lawful permanent resident status.

The US Secretary usually places a country under TPS because of the following “temporary conditions” in the country:

• “Ongoing armed conflict (such as civil war)”

• “An environmental disaster (such as earthquake or hurricane), or an epidemic”

• “Other extraordinary and temporary conditions”

The Philippine request comes after Yolanda killed at least 6,069 people and affected over 16 million. – Rappler.com