On March 13, 2026, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) updated its guidance on automatic extensions of work authorization for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) beneficiaries.
Specifically, USCIS said that if a TPS beneficiary presents a TPS-based Employment Authorization Document (EAD) and timely filed a renewal application that was pending on or filed after July 22, 2025, but before October 30, 2025, their automatic extension is limited by H.R. 1 (the One Big Beautiful Bill Act) to one year or the duration of TPS, whichever is shorter. They are not eligible for an up-to-540-day extension, even if it is listed on their EAD renewal receipt notice.
USCIS noted that if the Form I-797C receipt notice has a “Received Date” of July 21, 2025, or earlier, the up-to-540-day automatic extension applies; however, any part of this extension that falls after July 22, 2025, cannot last longer than one year from this date or for the duration of the TPS designation period, whichever is shorter.
