Sudanese TPS holders keep US protection after 19 October, DHS guidance awaited

Sudanese nationals with Temporary Protected Status (TPS) in the United States remain protected and allowed to work even though their designated TPS periods expired on 19 October 2026. The same applies to beneficiaries from Ukraine. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has posted an announcement on its website but has not yet issued a formal extension or termination notice in the Federal Register.

Key facts

• Affected: TPS holders from Sudan and Ukraine in the United States
• Previous TPS periods expired: 19 October 2026
• Current status: protections and work authorisation continue
• Missing: formal extension term or termination notice in the Federal Register
• Also missing: updated Employment Authorization Document (EAD) expiry dates and Form I-9 instructions

What is happening?

The TPS designations covering Sudan and Ukraine lapsed on 19 October 2026, but DHS has not published a formal decision in the Federal Register on whether to extend or terminate them. US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has indicated that affected individuals remain authorised to work in the meantime.

Under federal immigration law, TPS designations may automatically continue for at least six months when DHS does not determine that the conditions supporting a designation have ended.

Who is affected?

The situation concerns TPS beneficiaries from Sudan and Ukraine who are in the United States, along with their employers. DHS has not provided updated Employment Authorization Document expiration dates or specific Form I-9 instructions for this interim period, leaving uncertainty about how continued work authorisation should be documented.

What should employers and workers keep in mind?

Although USCIS has said affected individuals stay authorised to work, the guidance says employers should not independently assign new EAD expiration dates or assume that a six-month extension applies to Form I-9 records without supporting government instructions.

What this means for travellers

Sudanese TPS beneficiaries in the United States retain their status and work authorisation for now, despite the expiry of their previous TPS periods. Beneficiaries and their employers should watch for further DHS and USCIS announcements, preserve any government guidance issued, and review employment authorisation records as the situation develops.

DHS is expected to provide additional guidance clarifying the future of both the Sudan and Ukraine designations and the documentation requirements for affected workers. No date for that guidance has been announced.