United States | DHS announces termination of Afghanistan TPS designation

The Department of Homeland Security announced it is terminating the designation of Afghanistan for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) effective July 14, 2025.

Key Points:

• DHS said it was terminating the TPS designation of Afghanistan because the Secretary of Homeland Security determined that “overall, there are notable improvements in the security and economic situation such that requiring the return of Afghan nationals to Afghanistan does not pose a threat to their personal safety due to armed conflict or extraordinary and temporary conditions … permitting Afghan nationals to remain temporarily in the United States is contrary to the national interest of the United States.”
• According to the Federal Register notice published May 13, 2025, the termination will take effect at 11:59 p.m. local time on July 14, 2025, 60 days after publication.
• Afghan nationals who have obtained another immigration benefit apart from TPS, including parole, will retain that immigration benefit unless otherwise notified.
• The notice states that Afghan TPS beneficiaries continue to be employment authorized during the 60-day transition period and automatically extends the validity of certain EADs previously issued under the TPS designation of Afghanistan through July 14, 2025. More information can be found in the notice and on the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services TPS website.

Additional Information: DHS previously announced in September 2023 that it had extended the redesignation of Afghanistan for TPS from Nov. 21, 2023, to May 20, 2025. DHS estimates that approximately 11,700 Afghan nationals (and individuals having no nationality who last habitually resided in Afghanistan) hold TPS under Afghanistan’s designation.

The termination of the designation is subject to litigation. BAL will continue to monitor this litigation and related cases.

This alert has been provided by the BAL U.S. Practice Group.

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