United States | TPS termination updates: Somalia EAD validity dates and Form I-9/E-Verify instructions for Burma and Syria

Somalia TPS termination update

The Department of Homeland Security previously published a Federal Register Notice terminating the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designation of Somalia, effective March 17, 2026.

Following a ruling by the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts on March 13, 2026, staying the termination of TPS designation for Somalia, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services published an update on March 17, 2026.

According to the update, “The validity of Employment Authorization Documents (EADs) issued under the TPS designation of Somalia with an original expiration date of March 17, 2023, Sept. 17, 2024, and March 17, 2026, is extended per court order. African Communities Together et al. v. Noem et al., No. 26-cv-11201(D. Mass.).”

The update also provides further instructions for completing the expiration date fields on Form I-9 and completing a case in E-Verify:

“When completing the Expiration Date (if any) fields on Form I-9, input ‘as per court order’ in Section 1 and ‘March 31, 2026’ in Section 2 along with a note in the additional information box. Employers may download the TPS Somalia webpage and attach them to Form I-9. Check back to USCIS websites regularly for updated information. When completing a case in E-Verify, enter the expiration date of ‘March 31, 2026’ from the Form I-9. Check back to USCIS websites regularly for updated information.”

Burma and Syria Form I-9/E-Verify instruction updates

As previously reported on March 12, USCIS published updates on the termination of TPS designations for Burma and Syria, extending the EAD validity dates per respective court orders.

According to the March 17 update on termination of TPS for Burma: “When completing the Expiration Date (if any) fields on Form I-9, input ‘as per court order’ in Section 1 and ‘March 30, 2026’ in Section 2 along with a note in the additional information box. Employers may download the Alert and TPS Burma webpages and attach them to Form I-9. Check back to USCIS websites regularly for updated information. When completing a case in E-Verify, enter the expiration date of ‘March 30, 2026’ from the Form I-9. Check back to USCIS websites regularly for updated information.”

According to the March 17 update on termination of TPS for Syria: “When completing the Expiration Date (if any) fields on Form I-9, input ‘as per court order’ in Section 1 and ‘March 24, 2026’ in Section 2 along with a note in the additional information box. Employers may download the Alert and TPS Syria webpages and attach them to Form I-9. Check back to USCIS websites regularly for updated information. When completing a case in E-Verify, enter the expiration date of ‘March 24, 2026’ from the Form I-9. Check back to USCIS websites regularly for updated information.”

Litigation in the above matters remains ongoing. BAL will continue to monitor and provide updates as more information becomes available.

Employers are encouraged to consult with their BAL attorney for case-specific guidance. Those employers and immigration professionals who are not BAL clients but have questions regarding how these TPS updates may impact their workforce can contact us here.

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

Copyright © 2026 Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP. All rights reserved. Reprinting or digital redistribution to the public is permitted only with the express written permission of Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP. For inquiries, please contact copyright@bal.com.