TPS for Syria citizens

Temporary Protected Status (TPS) is a humanitarian immigration status granted by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to nationals of countries experiencing ongoing armed conflict, environmental disaster, or other extraordinary conditions. TPS provides protection from removal and authorization to work — but does NOT directly lead to a green card.

⛔ TPS for Syria — terminated; USCIS archived the country page on July 27, 2026

TPS STATUS — Syria: DESIGNATION TERMINATED

DHS terminated Syria's designation (90 FR 45398, Sept. 22, 2025). On June 25, 2026 the Supreme Court (Mullin v. Doe, 6-3) held that TPS termination decisions are not judicially reviewable. On July 27, 2026 USCIS archived the Syria TPS page; it now states the designation is terminated, effective July 27, 2026, and the court-order EAD extension language is gone. E-Verify guidance issued July 29, 2026 confirms that Form I-766 EADs with category A12 or C19 issued to Syria TPS beneficiaries are no longer valid and that employers must reverify those employees. DHS estimated that 6,132 people held Syrian TPS (90 FR 45398). Confirm your individual EAD's validity with USCIS and consult an immigration attorney.

Verified against USCIS on 2026-09-09 — status can change with a single court ruling. Confirm on the official USCIS page before acting.

⛔ Update — July 29, 2026: USCIS archived this country’s TPS page on July 27, 2026. It states the Syria designation is terminated, effective July 27, 2026, and the language extending work permits per court order has been removed. E-Verify guidance issued July 29, 2026 confirms the consequence for employment: Form I-766 EADs with category A12 or C19 issued under Syria TPS are no longer valid, and employers must reverify those employees and cannot keep employing someone who does not provide proof of current employment authorization. Verified against the archived USCIS page and the E-Verify What’s New feed on July 29, 2026.

  • Termination action: Termination of TPS Designation
  • Publication date: 2025-09-22
  • Source: Federal Register

What this means:

  • TPS holders from Syria who do not have another immigration status may face removal proceedings once their work authorization expires.
  • Termination notices often face litigation that may delay implementation. Verify current status at USCIS before relying.
  • Affected individuals should consult an immigration attorney immediately to explore alternative pathways (asylum, U-visa, family-based, cancellation of removal).

How TPS works

This section describes the TPS program in general — it is not a filing path for Syria. This designation is terminated (see the status above), so there is no open re-registration window, and no Form I-821, Form I-765 or Form I-131 filed under it can be granted. The cycle, forms and fees below are listed to explain how the program works, not as steps to take.

  • Initial designation — DHS designates a country for TPS for 6-18 months based on conditions
  • Extensions — DHS reviews and decides to extend, redesignate (covers new arrivals), or terminate
  • Re-registration — Each cycle, current TPS holders must re-register during a published window (usually 60 days). Not available under this terminated designation — there is no open window to file into.
  • Forms used: Form I-821 (TPS application), Form I-765 (work authorization), Form I-131 (travel). None of these can be filed or granted under this terminated designation.
  • Fees — for designations that are still active (raised sharply by H.R.1, July 2025): Initial TPS registration on Form I-821 now carries a non-waivable $520 fee for filings postmarked on or after October 16, 2026 ($500 when H.R.1 introduced it on July 22, 2025 — it amended the old $50 cap in INA § 244(c)(1)(B)), plus $30 biometrics. Re-registration still has no I-821 fee, but a work permit adds the I-765 agency fee ($520 paper / $470 online — waivable via Form I-912) plus a non-waivable H.R.1 EAD fee: $570 initial / $280 renewal. TPS EADs are now valid a maximum of 1 year. H.R.1 fees adjust annually for inflation — verify your exact total with the USCIS Fee Calculator before filing.

Last verified: 2026-09-24. General procedural information — not legal advice. TPS status changes frequently; always verify at uscis.gov/humanitarian/temporary-protected-status before relying.

Recent fee, deadline, and contact context (2025-2026)

USCIS lists 16 countries under Countries Previously Designated for TPS (read Oct. 20, 2026): Afghanistan, Burma (Myanmar), Cameroon, Ethiopia, Guinea, Haiti, Honduras, Liberia, Nepal, Nicaragua, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Syria, Yemen and Venezuela. Only El Salvador, Lebanon, Sudan and Ukraine appear under Countries Currently Designated. The Haitian termination affects about 352,959 TPS holders (DHS’s own estimate in its termination notice, 90 FR 54733 — the same figure our TPS work-permit dataset uses).

How soon a termination bites: by statute a termination may not take effect earlier than 60 days after the Federal Register notice is published, or the existing expiration date if that is later — INA § 244(b)(3)(B), 8 U.S.C. § 1254a(b)(3)(B). The Secretary may also allow a longer “orderly transition” period. The 6-18 months figure above is the length of an initial designation, not the lead time before a termination takes effect.

TPS filing requirements: Form I-821 (TPS application — initial registration carries a non-waivable $520 H.R.1 fee for filings postmarked on or after October 16, 2026, plus $30 biometrics; re-registration has no I-821 fee) and Form I-765 (work authorization — $520 paper / $470 online agency fee, waivable via Form I-912, plus a non-waivable H.R.1 fee of $570 initial / $280 renewal). H.R.1 amended INA § 244(c)(1)(B) in July 2025, replacing the old $50 cap; its fees stack on top of agency fees, cannot be waived, adjust annually for inflation, and TPS EAD validity is capped at 1 year. Verify current amounts at uscis.gov/g-1055 and the USCIS Fee Calculator before filing. These amounts describe TPS filings generally. This designation is terminated, so no I-821 or I-765 can be filed or granted under it — paying any of these fees under this designation preserves nothing.

Re-registration windows are published in the Federal Register; typically 60 days from publication, and missing one requires a “good cause” explanation. That applies to designations that are still active. There is no re-registration window open under this terminated designation, so there is none to miss. Travel abroad, for designations that are still active: Form I-131 (for TPS travel authorization — or advance parole while a TPS application is still pending) is required BEFORE departure; fee approximately $630 (biometrics included in the filing fee). If you travel on an Advance Parole Document (the travel document USCIS issues while a TPS application is still pending), budget for a second, non-waivable charge: the H.R.1 parole fee — $1,050 for FY2027 (from October 16, 2026) — is collected each time the holder actually seeks parole at a port of entry, unless an exception applies. Approved TPS holders instead travel on TPS travel authorization (Form I-512T) and are admitted into TPS on return if a CBP officer determines they are eligible; leaving without TPS travel authorization may cost you TPS. Advance parole granted under this terminated designation is no longer valid — do not travel on it. Sanchez v. Mayorkas (Supreme Court, June 7, 2021) held that a TPS recipient who entered the United States unlawfully is not eligible to adjust to permanent residence under INA §245 merely by virtue of TPS.

USCIS Form I-821 instructions and current designation status: uscis.gov/humanitarian/temporary-protected-status. USCIS Contact Center: 1-800-375-5283 Monday-Friday 8:00am-8:00pm Eastern Time. For affected nationals, a DOJ-recognized organization (which serves mainly low-income clients and may charge fees) or a licensed immigration attorney can evaluate alternative pathways (asylum, U-visa, T-visa, VAWA, cancellation of removal) after any termination announcement.