DHS Announces Termination of Temporary Protected Status for Afghanistan on July 14th

On May 12, 2025, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem announced that the State Department will not renew Temporary Protected Status (TPS) benefits for Afghanistan once the current designation expires on May 20, 2025.

Beneficiaries will be granted a 60-day transition period to make preparations to either depart the United States or seek alternative lawful immigration status in the United States, before Afghanistan’s designation officially terminates on July 14, 2025.

Employment Authorization

Beneficiaries with valid TPS Employment Authorization Documents (EADs) will continue to be authorized to work during the 60-day transition period.

DHS announced the agency will be automatically extending the validity of certain EADs previously issued under the TPS designation of Afghanistan through July 14, 2025.

As proof of continued employment authorization through July 14, 2025, TPS beneficiaries can present an EAD that has the notation A-12 or C-19 under Category and a “Card Expires” date of November 20, 2023, or May 20, 2025.

How We Got Here

Afghanistan was initially designated for TPS during the Biden administration on May 20, 2022. The designation was made based on the Secretary’s determination of ongoing armed conflict and extraordinary conditions in Afghanistan preventing the return of its nationals.

On September 25, 2023, DHS extended and re-designated TPS benefits for Afghanistan for a period of 18 months, beginning on November 21, 2023, and ending on May 20, 2025.

Now under the Trump administration, Secretary Noem has made the decision to terminate Afghanistan’s TPS designation after reviewing the country’s conditions and determining that conditions no longer justify the government’s renewal of its TPS designation.

In a statement Noem stated, “Afghanistan has had an improved security situation, and its stabilizing economy no longer prevent them from returning to their home country. Additionally, the termination furthers the national interest as DHS records indicate that there are [Afghan] recipients who have been under investigation for fraud and threatening our public safety and national security.”

Afghan’s who wish to remain in the United States must seek alternative lawful status before the program’s termination date of July 14^th.

To read the official announcement, please click here.

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