From the official announcement by USCIS ↗
According to a notice from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) dated July 29, 2026, Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Syrian citizens ended on July 27, 2026. The decision originated from former Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem's conclusion that conditions in Syria no longer met the criteria to maintain the status, following a review of the country's situation and consultation with relevant federal agencies. The termination notice was previously published in the Federal Register on September 22, 2025, but implementation was delayed through multiple lawsuits and temporary extensions.
Another significant milestone was the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in Mullin v. Doe on June 25, 2026, which directly addressed the federal government's authority to terminate TPS. Saigon Sentinel sources previously documented approximately 6,100 Syrian nationals holding TPS status in the United States, a modest figure compared to over 350,000 Haitian beneficiaries under the same protection. News outlet abc7chicago.com recalled that Syria was added to the TPS list in 2012, following the outbreak of its civil war—a conflict that formally ended in 2024.
With the status termination, work permits (Employment Authorization Documents, Form I-766) bearing codes A12 or C19 issued to Syrians under TPS hold no legal validity as of July 27, 2026. Employers using such workers must review the I-9 records of these employees; if workers cannot present valid work authorization documents, employers cannot continue their employment. This is the most critical point the community must note, particularly in sectors with large immigrant workforces such as construction, healthcare, and food service—areas that news4jax.com reported may face labor shortages as various TPS designations expire in succession.
The New York Times also noted that continuously changing deadlines across different TPS terminations (not limited to Syria) are creating confusion for employers in determining who remains legally authorized to work. This USCIS notice supersedes a previous update issued on July 24, 2026. See USCIS's official notice at the source link below.
As of July 27, 2026, work permits coded A12 and C19 for Syrians under TPS hold no legal validity.
Analysis
The termination of TPS for Syria occurs amid a broader federal effort to narrow temporary protections for multiple nationalities simultaneously, ranging from Syria to Haiti. The Supreme Court's ruling in Mullin v. Doe last June reinforced the Department of Homeland Security Secretary's authority to terminate TPS, following months of stays imposed by federal courts. However, the scale of impact on Syrians is relatively modest compared to Haiti, which has over 350,000 affected individuals. Notably, despite Syria's civil war ending in 2024, the U.S. State Department still maintains the country at the highest security alert level—a paradox that immigration observers will likely continue to challenge in subsequent litigation.
Diaspora Impact
The Vietnamese American community has virtually no direct connection to the Syrian TPS designation, but small business owners—particularly those in restaurants, construction, and nail services—should review their workforce to ensure no employees are currently using expired A12 or C19 work authorization codes as of July 27, 2026. If discovered, businesses must immediately request that employee to present alternative valid work authorization; failure to do so requires stopping that employee's work to avoid I-9 violations. Readers not directly affected by this designation need take no additional action at this time; updates should be monitored directly through uscis.gov rather than through intermediary services.