From the official announcement by USCIS ↗
According to an update from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (USCIS) on July 17, 2026, the termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Myanmar citizens — which former Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem determined no longer met the conditions to maintain this designation and announced in the Federal Register on November 25, 2025 — remains blocked by court order. The termination was originally set to take effect on January 26, 2026, but a federal court in Illinois issued a stay in the case Aung DOE v. Noem, allowing Employment Authorization Documents (EAD) issued under Myanmar's TPS designation — with original expiration dates of November 25, 2025, May 25, 2024, or November 25, 2022 — to continue having extended validity.
A turning point came when the U.S. Supreme Court issued a favorable ruling for the government in Mullin v. Doe on June 25, 2026, clearing the way for Myanmar TPS termination to proceed. This is not an isolated case: under the same legal mechanism, the Supreme Court previously permitted the cancellation of TPS for approximately 348,000 Venezuelans, and ruled in June that the Department of Homeland Security has full authority to grant or revoke TPS without court involvement — directly affecting approximately 330,000 Haitians and Syrians.
Although the TPS deadline has passed, USCIS is directing employers how to complete Form I-9: in Part 1, write "as per court order"; in Part 2, enter July 27, 2026 as the expiration date for the affected EADs. For the E-Verify system, employers must also enter the same date of July 27, 2026 from the I-9 form.
Those directly affected are Myanmar citizens holding work permits under TPS, along with small business owners, restaurants, and nail salons employing workers from this group — including within Vietnamese-origin communities that operate many businesses employing multinational immigrant workers. In practical terms, Myanmar workers can continue working legally until July 27, 2026 thanks to the court order, but after that date, their legal status will depend on further litigation developments or transitions to another visa category. See USCIS's official announcement at the source link below.
Work permits under Myanmar TPS retain legal validity, but only through July 27, 2026.
Analysis
The Myanmar case fits into a larger pattern: since the beginning of 2025, the administration has terminated TPS for approximately 10 countries, affecting over one million people, and the Supreme Court has consistently backed the Department of Homeland Security Secretary's nearly absolute decision-making authority. Even when lower courts issue stays, such orders typically only extend deadlines by a few months rather than reversing policy. Political resistance has also emerged: Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, a Republican, publicly suggested reconsidering the cancellation of TPS for Haitians, showing that even within the ruling party there are disagreements over the pace and manner of implementing this policy.
Diaspora Impact
Myanmar workers holding EAD under TPS should keep the original work permit and closely monitor announcements from USCIS, as the validity period under the court order extends only until July 27, 2026. Employers hiring workers from this group must update Form I-9 and E-Verify records according to the new guidance, avoiding use of the old expiration date on the card. Do not use intermediary services to process documents; direct any questions to uscis.gov or a licensed immigration attorney. Those not in the Myanmar TPS group need not take action at this time.