Humanitarian Programs

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The Department of State has announced an expansion of its 2025 visa screening and vetting process for certain nonimmigrant visas to other classifications. The new policy is scheduled to go into effect March 30, 2026.

Consular officers will be broadening “online presence review” as part of adjudicating certain nonimmigrant visa applications. Groups already subject to…

Takeaways

  • Current work authorization remains valid, for now.
  • Employers should update Form I-9s with specific notations according to USCIS and E-Verify guidance (updated expiration and “as per court order”).
  • Employers should handle E-Verify consistently and use the updated expiration date from the I-9 in E-Verify cases.

USCIS and E-Verify have published coordinated employer guidance confirming…

Takeaways

  • Current work authorization remains valid for now.
  • Employers should update Form I-9s with specific notations according to USCIS/E-Verify guidance (expiration “03-15-2026” and “as per court order”).
  • Employers should handle E-Verify consistently and use the 03.15.26 date from the I-9 in E-Verify cases.

Status of Haiti TPS Work Authorization

A federal court in the D.C.

On Feb. 13, 2026, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem announced that Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designation for Yemen will not be extended.

This TPS designation will terminate 60 days after the notice is published in the Federal Register. During this 60-day transition period, work authorization documents based upon TPS designation will remain valid. After the 60-day…

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit has reversed a lower court’s order vacating the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Honduras, Nepal, and Nicaragua, reinstating the DHS termination.

In granting the stay pending appeal, the Ninth Circuit concluded the government is likely to succeed on the…

Takeaways

  • Haitian TPS will not end 02.03.26 after a federal court stayed DHS’s 11.28.25 termination notice.
  • Venezuela TPS is not reinstated despite the Ninth Circuit ruling, because a U.S. Supreme Court stay remains in effect pending further appeals.
  • As the latest developments show, TPS rules differ sharply by country, requiring careful, individualized employer review.

On…

On Dec. 31, 2025, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California vacated the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) decisions to terminate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Honduras, Nicaragua, and Nepal, finding that the terminations violated the Administrative Procedure Act (APA). The court concluded that DHS failed to conduct an objective assessment of…

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has announced that Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Burma (Myanmar), Ethiopia, Haiti, and South Sudan will end in early 2026.

Employers of TPS beneficiaries from affected countries should closely review the timelines and automatic Employment Authorization Document (EAD) extensions, summarized below in order of termination date.

Employers…