As of mid-2026, roughly 15 countries appear on the Temporary Protected Status list, but that roster overstates who is actually protected. The countries with TPS designations are Burma (Myanmar), El Salvador, Ethiopia, Haiti, Honduras, Lebanon, Nepal, Nicaragua, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Ukraine, Venezuela, and Yemen.1U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Temporary Protected Status The Department of Homeland Security has moved to terminate most of them. Federal courts have blocked some terminations, let others proceed, and left a few in an unresolved back-and-forth. Whether your country’s designation is genuinely active right now depends on which court order came last.
Designations That Are Stable
A small group of countries has not been targeted for termination as of early 2026.
Ukraine’s designation runs through October 19, 2026. The re-registration window closed in March 2025.2U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Temporary Protected Status Designated Country: Ukraine
Lebanon is the newest addition to the program. Its 18-month designation began November 27, 2024, and runs through May 27, 2026.3Federal Register. Designation of Lebanon for Temporary Protected Status
El Salvador, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen remain designated without publicly announced termination decisions. That can change on short notice, so beneficiaries from these countries should still watch USCIS announcements closely.
Designations Blocked by Court Orders
DHS announced terminations for five countries in this group, and federal judges intervened before or just after the effective dates. Each case has its own docket, and protection lasts only as long as the relevant order holds.
- Haiti. Termination was scheduled for February 3, 2026. A judge in the D.C. district court stayed the decision one day before it took effect.4U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Temporary Protected Status Designated Country: Haiti
- Burma (Myanmar). Termination took effect January 26, 2026, but a judge in the Northern District of Illinois postponed the decision three days earlier.
- Ethiopia. Termination was set for February 13, 2026, and was stayed by a judge in the District of Massachusetts on January 30, 2026.
- Somalia. Termination was scheduled for March 17, 2026, and was stayed by a judge in the District of Massachusetts on March 13, 2026.
- South Sudan. Termination was set for January 5, 2026, and was stayed by a judge in the District of Massachusetts on December 30, 2025.
Beneficiaries from these countries should treat their status as active but fragile. Any of these stays could be reversed on appeal, which would allow the termination to move forward.1U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Temporary Protected Status
Designations Caught Between Conflicting Orders
Honduras, Nepal, and Nicaragua sit in the most difficult position. DHS terminated all three designations in mid-2025. A district court judge in the Northern District of California then vacated those terminations on December 31, 2025, which would have restored TPS. On February 9, 2026, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals stayed the district court’s order, putting the terminations back in play while the appeals move forward.1U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Temporary Protected Status
Beneficiaries from these three countries should consult an immigration attorney. Their protection depends entirely on which order controls at any given moment, and that can shift again as the appeals proceed.
Venezuela: Terminated
Both Venezuelan TPS designations have ended. The 2023 designation terminated October 3, 2025, after the Supreme Court allowed the termination to take immediate effect. The 2021 designation terminated November 7, 2025.5U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Temporary Protected Status Designated Country: Venezuela
Some Venezuelan TPS holders still hold valid Employment Authorization Documents with October 2, 2026 expiration dates, thanks to a separate district court order from May 2025. The underlying TPS designation itself is gone.
Countries No Longer on the List
Two countries that previously held TPS designations no longer appear on the USCIS list at all: Afghanistan and Cameroon. Their designations ended without the court challenges that have kept other terminated countries in limbo.
What TPS Holders Should Watch Right Now
The court-blocked designations create real practical risks even while protection is technically in force. A few things matter regardless of which country you are from.
Re-registration. When a designation is extended, you have to re-register during a specified window to keep your status and work permit active. Missing the deadline without good cause can end your protection entirely. Each country’s window is published on the USCIS page for that designation and typically opens 60 days before the current period ends. You also have to re-register every 12 months after initially receiving TPS, even during periods when the country designation itself is being extended.
Work permit duration. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act, enacted July 22, 2025, changed how long TPS-based EADs stay valid. For renewal applications filed on or after that date, the automatic extension while your renewal is pending is limited to one year or the remaining duration of the TPS designation, whichever is shorter.6E-Verify. Update to TPS Page on EAD Automatic Extensions The previous 540-day extension is gone. Even if your Form I-797C receipt notice shows a longer period, you cannot rely on anything past the new limits.
Filing fees. As of January 1, 2026, Form I-821 (the TPS application) costs $510. A first-time Employment Authorization Document adds $560. Renewing or extending a TPS work permit costs $280.7U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Announces FY 2026 Inflation Increase for Certain Immigration-Related Fees Fee waivers are still available through Form I-912 for applicants who can show financial hardship.
Termination transition. Termination does not always mean immediate removal. When DHS terminates a designation, there is generally a transition period before status formally ends. The recent Venezuela and other terminations show that litigation can extend protections well beyond announced dates, but treating a court order as a long-term plan carries obvious risk.
TPS Does Not Lead to a Green Card
One boundary worth stating plainly: TPS itself does not lead to a green card or citizenship. USCIS is explicit that it is a temporary benefit and confers no other immigration status.1U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Temporary Protected Status When a designation ends and no court order extends it, former TPS holders revert to whatever status they had before, which for many is no status at all.
Holding TPS does not block you from pursuing permanent residency through other channels, though. You can file for adjustment of status based on an immigrant visa petition, apply for asylum, or pursue any other immigration benefit you independently qualify for. TPS also tolls the one-year asylum filing deadline: holding TPS until a reasonable period before you file counts as an extraordinary circumstance.1U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Temporary Protected Status If your designation is one of the ones facing termination or stuck in the appeals courts, that tolling benefit is worth understanding before protection ends.