Immigration: Venezuela

General information, not legal advice. Data as of October 10, 2026

Visa line

Venezuela does not have its own column. If you were born in Venezuela, you use the rest-of-the-world column ("All Chargeability Areas Except Those Listed").

Family (Final Action Date / Date for Filing):

Employment: EB-1 C / C; EB-2 01APR25 / 15MAR26; EB-3 15JUN24 / 01AUG24; other workers 01JUN22 / 01JUL22; EB-4 and religious workers 15DEC22 / 01JAN25, but the part for religious workers who are not ministers expires December 11, 2026 unless Congress extends it.

If you and your spouse immigrate together (cross-chargeability):

• If your spouse was born in a country with a longer line (for example, Mexico in the family categories), your spouse can use the Venezuela column. For that, you both must get the green card in the same case, as the principal applicant and the accompanying spouse.
• It does not apply if you are already a citizen or resident and you petition for your spouse: in that case, your spouse's country of birth counts.

Which chart USCIS uses: in November 2026, USCIS says to use the "Dates for Filing" chart for family and employment cases if you apply for a green card inside the U.S. This changes every month.

Visa suspension for Venezuelans (Proclamation 10998):

• Proclamation 10998 (Federal Register, 90 FR 59717) has been in effect since January 1, 2026. For Venezuela, it continues the partial suspension that started on June 9, 2025, with Proclamation 10949.
• What it suspends: all immigrant visas (the green card requested from outside the U.S.) and tourist and business visas (B-1/B-2), student visas (F and M) and exchange visas (J).
• Other nonimmigrant visas are not suspended, but they may be issued for a shorter time.
• Since January 1, 2026, there is no longer an exception for spouses, children and parents of U.S. citizens. Your Venezuelan relative who is outside the U.S. can go to the interview, but the visa may be denied even if their date is current.
• Who it applies to: Venezuelans who were outside the U.S. on January 1, 2026, and did not have a valid visa that day. Visas issued before that date are not canceled.
• Who it does not apply to: permanent residents (green card); dual nationals traveling on the passport of a country that is not on the list; certain diplomatic visas; athletes at major sporting events; special visas for U.S. government employees; and cases approved one by one for national interest.
• It does not limit applying for asylum, refugee status or other protections. It also does not apply to people who already received asylum or entered as refugees.
• The proclamation is about visas and entering the country. Its text does not mention applying for a green card inside the U.S. (adjustment of status).
• It has no end date. The government reviews it every 180 days. As of today, there is no new proclamation that changes the rules for Venezuela.
• If a Venezuelan qualifies for a B-1/B-2 visa (for example, under an exception), the State Department says they must post a bond of up to $20,000 before getting it. It is paid only when the consular officer says so.

USCIS pause for people from certain countries:

• USCIS had put "on hold" the pending applications of people from the countries in those proclamations, including Venezuela.
• In June 2026, a federal court in Rhode Island canceled that pause. In August 2026, a federal court in California ordered USCIS to decide those applications in the normal way.
• USCIS says it disagrees, but that it follows those orders while the cases continue. This may change.

Careful: a current date does not mean you can apply for a green card inside the country. Talk to a lawyer or accredited representative.

Careful: if you are in the U.S., talk to a lawyer or accredited representative before you leave the country.

Official sources: State Dept. · Visa Bulletin Nov. 2026 ↗ · Federal Register · Proclamation 10998 ↗ · State Dept. · Countries subject to visa bonds ↗ · USCIS · Court orders on hold policies ↗

TPS

What happened:

• Venezuela had two TPS designations, the 2021 one and the 2023 one. Both have ended.
• 2023 designation: on February 3, 2025, the government canceled the extension it had published in January 2025 (90 FR 8805). The termination notice was published on February 5, 2025 (90 FR 9040). Because of the lawsuit, the date changed several times.
• 2021 designation: it ended on November 7, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. The notice was published on September 8, 2025 (90 FR 43225).
• Today there is no re-registration and no way to apply for TPS for Venezuela. There is no new notice in the Federal Register.
• The general USCIS TPS list still names Venezuela, but that does not open any application: according to the Federal Register notices, both designations ended.

Your work permit:

• USCIS said that work permits from the 2021 designation (category A12 or C19) expired on November 7, 2025.
• Because of a California court order of May 30, 2025, one group kept its TPS and its work permit until October 2, 2026. These are people who re-registered under the January 2025 extension and received, no later than February 5, 2025, TPS documents that expired on October 2, 2026. That date has passed.
• If your TPS work permit had an automatic extension (for example, of up to 540 days), that extension does not go past the date your TPS ended.
• This is only about TPS work permits. If you have a work permit in another category, this does not change it. If you have a USCIS notice with another date, keep it and talk soon with a lawyer or an accredited representative.

The court case (National TPS Alliance):

• A federal court in California ruled against the termination of the 2023 designation (case 3:25-cv-01766). The Supreme Court put those decisions on hold on May 19 and October 3, 2025, and that allowed the termination to take effect.
• On January 28, 2026, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the California court's decision (case 25-5724). But the Supreme Court's hold continued, and the termination stayed in effect.
• On June 25, 2026, in another TPS case (Mullin v. Doe), the Supreme Court said the law does not let judges review these terminations on claims that are not based on the Constitution.
• On October 5, 2026, the Supreme Court canceled the Ninth Circuit's decision on Venezuela and sent the case back so that court reviews it again in light of Mullin v. Doe (case 26-48).
• The case is still open in the Ninth Circuit and in the California court. Today no court order brings back TPS for Venezuela.

What to do if you had TPS:

• Do not use a TPS work permit that is no longer valid.
• Talk soon with a lawyer or an accredited representative. Check whether you have another immigration path, such as a family petition, an employment petition or asylum.
• If you plan to apply for asylum, check the deadlines. USCIS says that having had TPS can "stop the clock" on the one-year deadline to apply for asylum, if that year had not already run out. But the federal rule (8 CFR 208.4) says you must file within a reasonable time after your TPS ended. If you had TPS until recently (for example, until October 2, 2026), talk to a lawyer or an accredited representative as soon as possible. Each case is different.
• Do not let other applications or permits you have expire. If you have a case in immigration court, go to all your hearings.
• No one can "renew" or "bring back" TPS for Venezuela today. If someone promises it to you for money, it is a scam.

Careful: USCIS says only a lawyer or an accredited representative of an organization recognized by the Department of Justice can give you legal advice.

Official sources: USCIS · TPS for Venezuela ↗ · Supreme Court · Case 25A326 (TPS) ↗ · Supreme Court · Case 26-48 (Venezuela TPS) ↗ · eCFR · 8 CFR 208.4 (asylum deadline) ↗

Parole

What CHNV parole was:

• It let people from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela, with a sponsor in the U.S., enter with parole for up to 2 years. Venezuelans received the class of admission "VHP" and could apply for a work permit (category C11).

What happened:

• The government ended the program with a Federal Register notice of March 25, 2025 (90 FR 13611).
• The notice said that parole that had not expired would end on April 24, 2025, unless there was a different individual decision. It also said DHS intended to revoke work permits based on that parole.
• A federal court in Massachusetts put parts of the notice on hold in April 2025. The Supreme Court lifted that hold on May 30, 2025. Since then, the government can end that parole and revoke those work permits.
• On September 12, 2025, the First Circuit Court of Appeals canceled the Massachusetts court's order (case 25-1384).
• The notice says DHS would not confirm the sponsorship forms (I-134A) that were still pending. Today no court order brings back that parole.

What to do if you came with CHNV parole:

• Check your USCIS online account (myUSCIS). The notice says you are told there when your parole and your work permit end.
• The notice says that people who already got another legal status or another basis to stay do not have to leave the country because of that notice.
• Talk soon with a lawyer or an accredited representative. If you have another pending application or a case in immigration court, keep it up to date and go to all your hearings. If you plan to apply for asylum, also ask about the deadlines.
• No one can "renew" or "bring back" CHNV parole today. If someone promises it to you for money, it is a scam.

Official sources: Federal Register · CHNV parole termination ↗ · USCIS · Supreme Court and CHNV parole ↗ · USCIS SAVE · Parole and TPS changes ↗

DACA

The rules are the same for Venezuelans as for any other country.

• USCIS still renews DACA and its work permits.
• It accepts new requests but does not process them. Paying for one today does not give you DACA.
• Your current DACA and work permit stay valid until they expire.
• Renew 120 to 150 days before it expires. Cost: $85 (I-821D) + $470 online or $520 on paper (I-765) = $555 or $605. There is no fee waiver. Only very limited fee exemptions exist, and USCIS must approve them before you file; see uscis.gov/DACA.
• There may be changes in Texas; check the USCIS page (uscis.gov/DACA).

Official sources: USCIS · DACA ↗ · USCIS · I-765 filing fees ↗ · USCIS · Form I-821D (DACA) ↗

Consulates and paperwork

• On March 5, 2026, the State Department announced that the U.S. and Venezuela's interim authorities agreed to re-establish diplomatic and consular relations.
• Even so, today Venezuela's Ministry of Foreign Affairs does not list any consulates in the U.S. Its official directory (mppre.gob.ve/consulados_venezuela) has 25 consulates in other countries and none in the U.S. Its list of embassies does not include the U.S. either.
• The Ministry has not published a date to open consulates in the U.S. Check that directory before you make plans.
• On the SAIME portal (SAIME is Venezuela's identification service), saime.gob.ve, you use your account to request appointments and some procedures, such as data certification and travel records (movimientos migratorios). Check on the portal whether the procedure is finished online or requires going to an office.
• SAIME says its procedures are personal and that you do not need intermediaries or agents (gestores) to do them.
• If your relative lives in Venezuela, their immigrant visa interview is done at the U.S. Embassy in Bogotá (Colombia). But today those visas are suspended for Venezuelans, except for exceptions (Proclamation 10998).

Careful: do not pay people or websites that offer "appointments at the Venezuelan consulate in the U.S." Use only saime.gob.ve and mppre.gob.ve.

Official sources: VE Foreign Ministry · Consulate directory ↗ · State Dept. · U.S.-Venezuela relations ↗ · SAIME · Online services portal ↗ · State Dept. · Venezuela country information ↗

If a relative is detained

• Look for them at ice.gov/locator with their A-number and country of birth (Venezuela), or with their name and country of birth.
• If they do not show up, ICE says to call the appropriate local ERO (Enforcement and Removal Operations) field office.
• Today Venezuela's Ministry of Foreign Affairs does not list any consulates in the U.S.
• The State Department's consular notification page (travel.state.gov) gives the email consular@embaveus.net as the contact for the Venezuelan Embassy in Washington, D.C. It does not give a phone number, and it has not been confirmed that this email gets answered.
• Look for a lawyer or an accredited representative soon. On uscis.gov there is a list of accredited representatives and free or low-cost legal services.

Official sources: ICE · Locating detained individuals ↗ · State Dept. · Consular notification VE ↗ · VE Foreign Ministry · Consulate directory ↗ · USCIS · Legal help (Venezuela TPS page) ↗

Passport and cédula

• The Ministry of Foreign Affairs says that, if you live outside Venezuela, you request your passport with your SAIME user account (saime.gob.ve) and an appointment at the Venezuelan embassy or consulate in the country where you live.
• Today the Ministry does not list any consulates in the U.S. So today there is no place in the U.S. for that appointment.
• At a Venezuelan embassy or consulate, the Ministry charges $120 for an adult passport. Bring a copy of your cédula (valid or expired) and a copy of your passport's data page.
• The Ministry does not say whether SAIME also charges an online fee when you request the appointment. Before you pay anything, check the amount your SAIME account shows you and pay only on the official portal.
• For children and teens, the Ministry says the procedure is free. The child goes with both parents. If one cannot go, bring that parent's notarized and apostilled authorization.
• In Venezuela, SAIME charges for the regular passport (ready in 8 to 15 business days) Ref. 216 from age 18, Ref. 162 for ages 3 to 17 and Ref. 108 from 3 months to under 3 years. The "habilitado" passport (ready in 48 hours, Simón Bolívar office in Caracas) costs Ref. 350, 310 and 290. Prices follow the Central Bank (BCV) rate of the day.
• Cédula (national ID card): SAIME and the Ministry do not currently publish a way to get or renew the cédula from the U.S.
• Neither the passport nor the cédula gives you immigration status or a work permit in the U.S.

Careful: before you leave the U.S. to do paperwork in another country, talk to a lawyer or an accredited representative.

Official sources: VE Foreign Ministry · Adult passport ↗ · VE Foreign Ministry · Minors' passport ↗ · SAIME · Passport and fees ↗ · SAIME · Online services portal ↗

Children born in the U.S. and nationality

• Venezuela's Constitution (article 32) says that a child born in another country to a father and mother who are both Venezuelan by birth is Venezuelan by birth.
• If only the father or the mother is Venezuelan by birth, the child is Venezuelan by birth if the child lives in Venezuela or declares that they want Venezuelan nationality ("declaración de voluntad").
• If the father or the mother is Venezuelan by naturalization, the child must live in Venezuela before turning 18 and make that declaration before turning 25.
• The Constitution also says that Venezuelan nationality is not lost by having another one (article 34) and that a Venezuelan by birth cannot be deprived of it (article 35). Under the Constitution, becoming a U.S. citizen does not take away your Venezuelan nationality.
• Registering your child is free, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It is done at a Venezuelan embassy or consulate. Today the Ministry does not list any consulates in the U.S.

To register your child, the Ministry asks for:

• the U.S. birth certificate, original and two copies, apostilled and translated by a public interpreter;
• the declaration of intent, if needed (it is done first, at the embassy or consulate);
• the passport of the Venezuelan parents (original and three copies) and copies of their birth certificates (or the registry details of those certificates);
• the ID of the parent from another country, if that applies, and the ID of two witnesses.

Also:

• You can already ask for the apostille of the certificate at the office of the state where your child was born, so it is ready.

Official sources: VE Foreign Ministry · Birth registration ↗ · VE Foreign Ministry · Nationality declaration ↗

If you return to Venezuela

• Venezuela's Ministry of Foreign Affairs describes on its website a voluntary return program called "Plan Vuelta a la Patria". The page does not explain how to request it from the U.S. Ask only through official channels (mppre.gob.ve).
• The U.S. government has the CBP Home app for people without legal status who decide to leave. DHS says it gives a free trip, an exit bonus once you confirm in the app that you arrived, and forgiveness of certain fines for not leaving. DHS has changed the bonus amount several times: check dhs.gov/cbphome. The app is downloaded from the App Store or Google Play.
• If you have a pending asylum application and you leave the U.S. without travel permission (advance parole), the federal rule (8 CFR 208.8) presumes you abandoned your application. And if you leave with travel permission but go to Venezuela, the country you say you fled, the same rule also presumes you abandoned it, unless you show compelling reasons for that trip. Talk to a lawyer or an accredited representative before using the app.
• If you are also a U.S. citizen: the State Department says Venezuelan law requires you to enter and leave Venezuela with a Venezuelan passport. Travel with valid U.S. and Venezuelan passports.
• The State Department's travel advisory for Venezuela is Level 3 ("reconsider travel").

Official sources: DHS · CBP Home app ↗ · eCFR · 8 CFR 208.8 (asylum and travel) ↗ · State Dept. · Venezuela country information ↗ · VE Foreign Ministry · Return plan ↗

Sources: travel.state.gov, fam.state.gov, state.gov, uscis.gov, federalregister.gov, supremecourt.gov, federal courts (case records), ecfr.gov (8 CFR), dhs.gov, ice.gov, mppre.gob.ve (Venezuela's Ministry of Foreign Affairs), saime.gob.ve, Constitution of Venezuela (1999, as amended in 2009). Always check the official source before you start a process.