U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) said Oct. 19 that Ukrainians holding Temporary Protected Status (TPS) retain protection and work authorization while the agency leaves the program’s next end date unset.
The latest published Ukraine TPS period lasted 18 months. A Department of Homeland Security (DHS) notice issued in January 2025 set its start at April 20, 2025, and its end at Oct. 19, 2026. USCIS has not specified another term.
The Congressional Research Service (CRS), using USCIS figures, counted 101,150 Ukrainian nationals covered by TPS as of March 31, 2025. TPS allows eligible people from designated countries to remain in the United States and obtain work authorization during a designation period.
DHS announced Ukraine’s initial designation on March 3, 2022, and it took effect April 19 that year. When DHS extended the designation in 2025, it cited armed conflict and other extraordinary, temporary conditions in Ukraine.
Federal law provides for a six-month extension if the homeland security secretary does not determine that a country no longer meets the conditions for TPS. The secretary may instead choose a 12- or 18-month period. USCIS did not set a new expiration date in its Oct. 19 statement or say when it would issue its next announcement.
