A court order temporarily extends certain Syrian TPS work permits, and new USCIS guidance tells employers to treat them as valid through July 24, 2026. The relief is limited and depends on ongoing court cases.
What USCIS Just Said
On July 17, 2026, USCIS posted updated guidance on the termination of Temporary Protected Status for Syria. This new guidance replaces an earlier message from July 10, 2026, so the July 17 version is the one to rely on.
The short version is this. The government moved to end TPS for Syria, but a federal court stepped in and ordered that certain Syrian TPS work permits stay valid for now. For employment verification purposes, USCIS is instructing employers to treat those work permits as valid through July 24, 2026.
How Syria Got Here: Termination, Then a Court Order
To make sense of the guidance, it helps to walk through the timeline.
The former Secretary of Homeland Security determined that Syria no longer met the conditions for a TPS designation, and the government published a notice terminating that designation. The termination and related benefits were set to end on November 21, 2025.
Then, on November 19, 2025, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York issued an order pausing the termination in a case called Dahlia Doe v. Noem. That court order is the reason certain work permits remain valid today. USCIS has described this as limited relief that lasts until the lower courts align with the Supreme Court’s June 25, 2026 decision in a related case. In plain terms, the extension is a temporary bridge created by litigation, not a permanent restoration of TPS for Syria.
Whose Work Permits Are Extended
According to the guidance, the extension applies to Employment Authorization Documents issued under the Syria TPS designation that carry an original expiration date of September 30, 2025, March 31, 2024, September 30, 2022, or March 31, 2021.
If your Syrian TPS work permit shows one of those original expiration dates, the court order extends its validity. If you are not sure whether your document qualifies, this is exactly the kind of detail worth confirming with an immigration attorney or by checking the USCIS TPS Syria page directly.
What This Means If You Are a Syrian TPS Holder
If you hold TPS from Syria and your work permit has one of the listed expiration dates, your authorization to work is recognized for now, and employers are being told to treat it as valid through July 24, 2026.
That date is very close, so do not wait. Use this window to understand your options. Many TPS holders also qualify, or may qualify, for other forms of immigration relief based on family, employment, asylum, or long residence in the United States. Those paths take time to pursue, which is why getting advice now, rather than after the current relief ends, can make a real difference.
Because this situation is changing through the courts, check the USCIS TPS Syria page regularly, and confirm your own dates rather than relying on any summary, including this one.
What Employers Need to Do
If you employ someone with a Syrian TPS work permit covered by this guidance, USCIS has given specific instructions for Form I-9.
In Section 1, in the expiration date field, enter “as per court order.” In Section 2, enter the date “July 24, 2026,” and add a note in the Additional Information box. Employers may download the USCIS Alert and the TPS Syria webpage and attach them to the Form I-9 for their records. For E-Verify, enter the expiration date of “July 24, 2026” from the Form I-9.
USCIS advises employers to check its websites regularly for updates, since this guidance can change as the litigation continues. Employers can also subscribe to Form I-9 and E-Verify updates through the USCIS notification service.
Why This Is Only Temporary
It is important to be clear eyed about what this guidance is and is not. It keeps certain work permits valid for a short period because a court ordered it. It does not undo the government’s move to end TPS for Syria, and it is expressly tied to how the lower courts carry out the Supreme Court’s recent decision. The relief could change, and the dates could move, on relatively short notice.
What to Do Now
Confirm the original expiration date printed on your work permit and check whether it matches one of the qualifying dates. Keep your TPS approval notices, work permits, and identification organized and accessible. Check the USCIS TPS Syria page for the most current information. And speak with an immigration attorney about whether you qualify for another path to remain and work in the United States, ideally before the current relief expires.
How Powers Law Group Can Help
At Powers Law Group, we help immigrants and their families across Houston make sense of fast changing rules like these and find the strongest path forward. If you have Syrian TPS and are unsure what this guidance means for you, or you are an employer trying to comply correctly, we can help.
To talk through your situation with our team, schedule a consultation at rubypowerslaw.com/consultation.
Sources
- U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, “Update on Termination of Temporary Protected Status for Syria,” July 17, 2026. https://www.uscis.gov/humanitarian/temporary-protected-status/temporary-protected-status-designated-country-syria
- Termination of the Designation of Syria for Temporary Protected Status, 90 Fed. Reg. 45398 (Sept. 22, 2025). https://www.federalregister.gov
- Dahlia Doe v. Noem, No. 25-cv-8686 (S.D.N.Y.). https://www.nysd.uscourts.gov
- Mullin v. Doe, 609 U.S. ___ (2026), decided June 25, 2026. https://www.supremecourt.gov
- Reuters, “Supreme Court lets Trump end deportation protections for Syrians, Haitians,” June 25, 2026. https://www.reuters.com/world/supreme-court-lets-trump-end-deportation-protections-syrians-haitians-2026-06-25/
- U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Form I-9 and E-Verify resources. https://www.uscis.gov/i-9
- U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Temporary Protected Status. https://www.uscis.gov/humanitarian/temporary-protected-status
- Immigration and Nationality Act, Section 244, 8 U.S.C. 1254a. https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/8/1254a
- Catholic Legal Immigration Network (CLINIC), TPS resources. https://www.cliniclegal.org
- American Immigration Council, Temporary Protected Status explainer. https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org
- Powers Law Group. https://rubypowerslaw.com
