United States: DHS Announces Termination of Temporary Protected Status for Somalia
January 14, 2026
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At a glance
- Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem will not extend the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designation for Somalia beyond its scheduled expiration date of March 17, 2026.
- Beneficiaries with certain previously issued EADs will continue to be work-authorized until the TPS designation expires on March 17.
A closer look
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has announced that it will not extend the Somalia Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designation beyond its scheduled expiration date of March 17, 2026. According to a Federal Register notice published today, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem has determined that the conditions for a TPS designation no longer exist for Somalia and that extending TPS for Somalia would be contrary to U.S. national interests.
Somalia’s most recent TPS designation was extended in July 2024 for an 18-month period, from September 18, 2024 through March 17, 2026.
Employment authorization to continue until the March 17 expiration of TPS
DHS recognizes that TPS beneficiaries under the Somalia designation continue to be employment-authorized until the designation’s scheduled expiration date. Accordingly, through the Federal Register notice, DHS is automatically extending the validity of certain EADs previously issued under the designation, through March 17, 2026.
As proof of continued employment authorization through March 17, 2026, Somalia TPS beneficiaries can present an EAD that has the notation A-12 or C-19 under “Category” and a “Card Expires” date of March 17, 2023, September 17, 2024, or March 17, 2026.
Employers will need to reverify the employment eligibility of impacted employees whose work authorization was based on a TPS EAD that benefits from the auto-extension, and update their records to indicate the new March 17, 2026 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.
