Update: Temporary Protected Status Designation for Syria Terminated, Effective November 21, 2025

Quick Hits

• On September 22, 2025, DHS published a notice in the Federal Register announcing the termination of the TPS designation for Syria, effective November 21, 2025.
• The TPS designation was created to provide temporary status to foreign nationals in the United States unable to return to their home countries due to events or circumstances present in the countries, such as natural disasters, armed conflicts, or other extraordinary conditions.
• The announcement continues the increasing trend of terminating countries’ TPS designations.

On September 22, 2025, DHS announced that the TPS designation for Syria will be terminated, effective November 21, 2025. This continues a trend of TPS terminations, following Honduras’s and Nicaragua’s expirations earlier in September 2025.

The TPS designation was created to provide temporary status to foreign nationals in the United States unable to return to their home countries due to events or circumstances present in the countries, such as natural disasters, armed conflicts, or other extraordinary conditions. During the designated TPS period, TPS beneficiaries are not removable from the United States, can obtain work authorization (EAD), and can apply for travel authorization. DHS regulations require that any rescission of TPS benefits be accompanied by a sixty-day notice period.

Recently, DHS has terminated TPS programs for several countries, reducing the number of eligible countries from sixteen to nine. Additionally, the budget reconciliation bill known as the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” (“OBBBA”), signed into law on July 4, 2025, introduced new work authorization limits for TPS holders, limiting their initial employment authorization to either one year or the duration of the TPS designation period, whichever is shorter. Employees with I-765 applications pending or filed on or after July 22, 2025, are no longer eligible for automatic extensions.

TPS-based Employment Authorization Documents (EAD) for certain countries may be automatically extended through the publication of a Federal Register notice (FRN) for a specific TPS-designated country. If an FRN automatically extends a country’s TPS-based EAD cards, employees can present their expired EAD cards as proof of identity and work authorization for the duration of the extension period specified in the FRN. An employee may not be issued a new EAD. USCIS may also grant an automatic extension of a TPS-based EAD by sending an individual notice to the employee. An employee can present the USCIS-provided notice along with the employee’s facially valid, expired, or expiring EAD card as proof of identity and employment authorization for the duration of the period listed on the notice.

As of September 2024, approximately one million individuals were living in the United States under TPS designation.

Please see the tables below for an update on both active and terminated TPS Programs, as of September 25, 2025.

Active TPS Programs

TPS Program	Current Status	Work Authorization Validity Date	Most Recent Action
Burma (Myanmar)	TPS status designated through November 25, 2025.	May 25, 2025.	Extension and redesignation of TPS announced in Federal Register on March 25, 2024.
El Salvador	TPS status designated through September 9, 2026.	March 9, 2026.	Extension and redesignation of TPS announced in Federal Register on January 17, 2025.
Ethiopia	TPS status designated through December 12, 2025.	December 12, 2025.	Extension and redesignation of TPS announced in Federal Register on April 15, 2024.
Lebanon	TPS status designated through May 27, 2026.	Initial TPS registration is effective through May 27, 2026.	TPS designation announced in Federal Register on November 27, 2024.
Somalia	TPS status designated through March 17, 2026.	September 17, 2025.	Extension and redesignation of TPS announced in Federal Register on July 22, 2024.
South Sudan	TPS status designated through November 3, 2025.	November 3, 2025.	Extension of TPS designation announced in Federal Register on May 6, 2025.
Sudan	TPS status designated through October 19, 2026.	April 19, 2026.	Extension of TPS designation announced in Federal Register on January 17, 2025.
Ukraine	TPS status designated through October 19, 2026.	April 19, 2026.	Extension of TPS designation announced in Federal Register on January 17, 2025.
Yemen	TPS status designated through March 3, 2026.	September 3, 2025.	Extension of TPS designation announced in Federal Register on July 10, 2024.

Terminated TPS Programs

TPS Program	Current Status	Final EAD Validity Date	Most Recent Action
Afghanistan	Termination announced May 13, 2025.	July 14, 2025	TPS benefits terminated on July 14, 2025.
Cameroon	Termination announced June 4, 2025.	August 4, 2025	TPS benefits terminated on August 4, 2025.
Haiti	Termination announced July 1, 2025.	February 3, 2026	U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York confirmed the original extension published in July 2024. On July 15, 2025, the court held TPS Haiti cannot be terminated prior to February 3, 2026. This decision was appealed by the government on September 25, 2025.
Honduras	Termination announced July 8, 2025.	September 8, 2025	Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals allowed the September 8, 2025, termination date to go into effect. Case remains subject to ongoing litigation.
Nepal	Termination announced June 6, 2025.	August 20, 2025	Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals allowed the termination date to go into effect. Case remains subject to ongoing litigation.
Nicaragua	Termination announced July 8, 2025.	September 8, 2025	Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals allowed the September 8, 2025, termination date to go into effect. Case remains subject to ongoing litigation.
Syria	Termination announced September 19, 2025.	November 21, 2025	TPS benefits terminate on November 21, 2025.
Venezuela (2021 Designation)	Termination date: November 7, 2025.	November 7, 2025	TPS benefits terminate on November 7, 2025.
Venezuela (2023 Designation)   *Also includes beneficiaries who reregistered under the January 17, 2025, extension notice.	Termination date: October 2, 2026, per court order, subject to litigation updates.	April 2, 2026	TPS benefits terminate on October 2, 2026.   Pending federal litigation.

Next Steps

Humanitarian-based EAD programs, including TPS, are subject to frequent updates, and it is important for employers to stay informed. An internal protocol for tracking updates and monitoring compliance is recommended.

Reviewing ongoing compliance requirements and understanding I-9 documentation obligations remain the most proactive methods for ensuring employers remain compliant. A Status Change Report is available for E-Verify employers through the E-Verify system to monitor rescission of EADs under humanitarian programs that were valid when E-Verify was initially completed.

Ogletree Deakins’ Immigration Practice Group will continue to monitor developments and will publish updates on the Immigration blog as additional information becomes available.

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