KATHMANDU:The Center for American Progress has partnered with Adhikaar, a Nepali human rights and social justice organization, and the U.S. Immigration Policy Center (USIPC) at the University of California, San Diego for  the first systematic survey of Nepali Temporary Protected Status (TPS) holders.

TPS has provided work authorization and protection from deportation to approximately 14,800 Nepali individuals in the United States since 2015.

The new survey makes clear that Nepali TPS holders have used their immigration status to make significant economic and societal contributions and have put down deep roots in American society.

The survey data illustrate that the uncertainty around the future of Nepal’s TPS designation weighs heavily on the minds of respondents.

When asked how often they thought about not having TPS, 68.7 percent of respondents reported thinking about it once a day or more.

Just more than half, or 54.3 percent, reported thinking about being deported once a day or more, while just less than half, or 41.4 percent, reported thinking about deportation separating them from their families once a day or more.

Moreover, 45.9 percent of those with children reported thinking about how losing TPS would mean not being able to see their children grow up.

This increases significantly, to 66.1 percent, among those with U.S.-citizen children.

A staggering 81.5 percent of the Nepali TPS holders surveyed “agreed” or “strongly agreed” that, “If I returned to Nepal, I would be concerned about the physical safety of myself and my family.”
Among respondents who have U.S.-citizen children, this increased to 85.3 percent.

The survey was fielded June 24, 2020, to August 3, 2020. All surveys were conducted via phone (landlines and cellphones) and all enumerators were bilingual (English and Nepali).

The sample size was 372, making it potentially the largest survey of Nepali TPS holders. The sample frame consisted of a list of Nepali TPS holders compiled by Adhikaar.

The USIPC, with input from Adhikaar, created the survey instrument. The USIPC also provided project oversight and management. Survey respondents were not given incentives to participate.

To date, little has been known about the demographics of Nepali TPS holders. The average and median age of the respondents are 42 and 40, respectively. The average and median age of arrival to the United States are 31 and 30, respectively.

The respondents live in 31 different U.S. states and territories. A plurality of them, or 44.1 percent, are from the Bagmati Pradesh in Nepal. Whereas 69.4 percent are male, 29 percent are female, and 1.6 percent declined to answer. The data show that 73.9 percent of the respondents are currently married. Of these individuals, 6.2 percent are married to U.S. citizens.

Furthermore, 62.1 percent of respondents reported having children. Among these parents, 29.4 percent have children who are U.S. citizens. When it comes to family ties in the United States, 24.7 percent reported having an immediate family member—defined as a spouse, parent, or child—who is a U.S. citizen.

(with inputs from American Progress)