From the official announcement by USCIS ↗
According to USCIS notification on August 12, 2026, the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) program for El Salvadoran citizens will end on September 9, 2026. This is a designation that allows El Salvadoran citizens in the United States to avoid deportation and obtain legal work permits while their country faces humanitarian crises or natural disasters.
To prevent work disruptions immediately before the termination date, USCIS stated it is sending notices to individuals who still qualify for TPS but have not yet received renewed work authorization documents (EAD) with codes A-12 or C-19, and whose pending TPS-based EAD applications are still under review. These individuals will be notified that their expired EAD will be automatically extended until September 9, 2026. USCIS is sending these notices by mail and through myUSCIS electronic accounts for those with registered access.
An expired work permit remains valid until September 9, 2026 if accompanied by an official USCIS notice.
Who Is Affected and What to Do With Documentation
El Salvadoran citizens with pending EAD applications, upon receiving the automatic extension notice, may use their expired EAD cards (with specific expiration dates such as March 9, 2025, June 30, 2024, December 31, 2022, October 4, 2021, January 4, 2021, January 2, 2020, September 9, 2019, or March 9, 2018) along with the USCIS notice as proof of identity and legal work authorization, valid until September 9, 2026.
When filling out Form I-9 (the employment eligibility verification form that all U.S. employers must maintain), the expiration date field should be entered as September 9, 2026 with a note in the Additional Information section. For the E-Verify system (the electronic system employers use to verify employment status), the expiration date must also be entered as September 9, 2026.
Small business owners employing workers under the El Salvador TPS designation—including those in restaurants, construction, nail salons, and other sectors where multinational immigrant workers are employed—need to update I-9 records with the correct new dates to avoid violations during inspections.
See USCIS's official notice at the source link below.
Analysis
Automatic EAD extension is a routine administrative measure when a TPS designation is about to expire: it prevents thousands of people from falling into a legal void between pending renewal applications and the expiration of the old designation. Notably, as Washington is tightening TPS for El Salvador, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) recently signed a bilateral agreement in late 2025 to open pathways for El Salvadoran citizens to participate in the Global Entry program, making travel and official visits to the United States more convenient. These two policies move in opposite directions: one tightens temporary protection for those already in the United States, the other opens doors for new legal entrants. This shows that immigration policy toward El Salvador is being differentiated by specific demographic groups rather than following a unified direction.
Diaspora Impact
El Salvadoran citizens with pending TPS-based EAD applications should check their myUSCIS account or mailbox to receive the automatic extension notice, and keep their old EAD card along with the new notice as documentation when at work. Small business owners, particularly in restaurants, construction, and service sectors where El Salvadoran workers are employed, need to update Form I-9 and E-Verify records with the new expiration date of September 9, 2026 before the TPS designation officially ends. Vietnamese-American readers not under El Salvador TPS do not need to take action, but if you are an employer with workers in this category, you should review your records immediately to avoid violating federal labor law.
Bảo Nguyễn
Bảo Nguyễn founded Saigon Sentinel to give the Vietnamese diaspora truly independent, in-depth community coverage at a time when misinformation moves faster than fact-checks and the language barrier makes verification harder than it should be. He sets the editorial standards and quality controls that govern the reporting, chooses the subjects, writes and edits each article, reads it against its sources before publication, audits published output, and handles corrections.