USCIS posted a set of Temporary Protected Status updates on August 14, 2026 that pull in two directions at once: work permits for Sudanese and Ukrainian beneficiaries were rescued with an automatic extension, while Somalia’s TPS designation ended the same day and its work permits went invalid immediately.
Sudan and Ukraine: EADs auto-extended to October 19
For TPS beneficiaries from Sudan and Ukraine whose renewal applications are still pending, USCIS automatically extended expired Employment Authorization Documents through October 19, 2026. The extension covers documents in category A12 or C19.
The affected Sudan EAD expiration dates are April 19, 2025; June 30, 2024; December 31, 2022; October 4, 2021; January 4, 2021; January 2, 2020; April 2, 2019; November 2, 2018; and November 2, 2017. For Ukraine, the covered expiration dates are April 19, 2025 and October 19, 2023.
USCIS said it is mailing notices to eligible beneficiaries who have not yet received a renewed card. For Form I-9 purposes, employers should enter October 19, 2026 as the expiration date and retain both the USCIS notice and the country-specific TPS webpage with the I-9.
Somalia: designation terminated, EADs no longer valid
Somalia’s TPS designation terminated effective August 14, 2026. USCIS stated plainly that Forms I-766 in category A12 or C19 issued to Somalia TPS beneficiaries are no longer valid.
There is no grace period built into that statement. Employers are expected to reverify affected employees and cannot lawfully continue employing someone who cannot produce current work authorization from another basis.
Why this matters beyond TPS holders
Two practical points carry past the specific countries involved.
First, the pattern of week-by-week and month-by-month EAD extensions tied to pending renewals has become the norm rather than the exception. Beneficiaries who assume a card is dead because its printed date has passed may in fact be authorized, and beneficiaries who assume the opposite may not be. The controlling document is the USCIS country page, not the card.
Second, anyone in TPS who has an independent path to status - an employment-based petition, a family petition, or an adjustment application already on file - has a sharper reason to move on it. TPS is being wound down country by country, and a terminated designation removes work authorization on the effective date rather than phasing it out.
Beneficiaries whose designation has ended should confirm whether any separate work authorization or pending application keeps them employable, and should get advice before a gap opens in their I-9 record.
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Source: Web research - BAL Immigration News and USCIS TPS pages