United States: DHS Announces End of Temporary Protected Status for Honduras and Nicaragua
July 7, 2025
Countries / Territories
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At a glance
- Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem will not extend Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designations for Honduras and Nicaragua, which expired on July 5, 2025, but beneficiaries will be granted a 60-day transition period.
- Beneficiaries with certain previously issued EADs will continue to be work authorized during the transition period.
A closer look
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is not extending Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designations for Honduras and Nicaragua, but will provide a 60-day transition period, according to advance copies of Federal Register notices scheduled for publication tomorrow. TPS designations for both countries expired on July 5, 2025; beneficiaries will be granted a 60-day transition period starting from the July 8 Federal Register notice publication. Beneficiaries will remain work-authorized throughout the transition period. The precise transition period end date will be published in tomorrow’s Federal Register notice.
According to the Federal Register notices, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem has determined that the conditions for TPS designations no longer exist for Honduras and Nicaragua.
Background
Honduras and Nicaragua were initially designated for TPS in 1999. During the first Trump administration, DHS took steps to terminate the designations but court challenges prevented it from doing so. In June 2023, the Biden-era DHS formally withdrew the TPS terminations and extended the countries’ designations through July 5, 2025.
Employment authorization during 60-day transition period
DHS recognizes that Honduran and Nicaraguan TPS beneficiaries continue to be employment-authorized during the 60-day transition period. Accordingly, through their respective Federal Register notices, DHS automatically extends the validity of certain EADs previously issued under the designations for 60 days from July 8, 2025.
As proof of continued employment authorization for the 60-day transition period for Honduran TPS, TPS beneficiaries can present an EAD that has the notation A-12 or C-19 under Category and a “Card Expires” date of January 5, 2018, July 5, 2018, January 5, 2020, January 4, 2021, October 4, 2021, December 31, 2022, June 30, 2024, and July 5, 2025.
As proof of continued employment authorization for the 60-day transition period for Nicaraguan TPS, TPS beneficiaries can present an EAD that has the notation A-12 or C-19 under Category and a “Card Expires” date of January 5, 2018, January 5, 2019, April 2, 2019, January 2, 2020, January 4, 2021, October 4, 2021, December 31, 2022, June 30, 2024, and July 5, 2025.
Employers will need to reverify the employment eligibility of any employees who presented Honduras or Nicaragua TPS EADs as proof of work authorization, and update their records to indicate the new 60-day transition period expiration date.
This alert is for informational purposes only. If you have any questions, please contact the immigration professional with whom you work at Fragomen.
