USCIS 2026 Alert: TPS EAD Extensions for El Salvador and Ukraine Workers

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced automatic extensions of Employment Authorization Documents (EADs) for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) recipients from El Salvador and Ukraine. This update comes as many TPS holders are still awaiting approval of their pending EAD applications, leaving a gap in their ability to demonstrate valid work authorization to employers. For El Salvador TPS holders, the EAD extension runs through September 9, 2026 — the current termination date of El Salvador's TPS designation. Eligible EADs include cards with expiration dates ranging from March 9, 2018 through March 9, 2025. Ukraine TPS holders with EADs expiring on April 19, 2025 or October 19, 2023 are covered through October 19, 2026, the end of Ukraine's TPS period. USCIS will notify affected individuals via mail and electronically through myUSCIS accounts. These notices, when combined with the expired EAD card, constitute valid proof of continued work authorization and must be accepted by employers during the I-9 verification process. Employers completing Form I-9 must enter the respective TPS termination date in the 'Expiration Date' field — September 9, 2026 for El Salvador workers and October 19, 2026 for Ukraine workers — and note the extension in the Additional Information box. The same dates apply when submitting cases through E-Verify. USCIS has made downloadable Alert documents available for each country to attach to Form I-9 as supplemental documentation. Employers are advised to monitor USCIS's official TPS pages for El Salvador and Ukraine regularly, as termination dates and extension policies may be subject to further updates given the evolving legal landscape around TPS designations in 2026.