USCIS Announces Employment Authorization Document Application Procedures for Certain Hong Kong Residents Covered by Deferred Enforced Departure
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services today posted a Federal Register notice for public inspection establishing procedures for certain Hong Kong residents covered by Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) to apply for Employment Authorization Documents (EADs) that will be valid through Feb. 5, 2027. The notice automatically extends through Feb. 5, 2027, the validity of current Hong Kong DED-related EADs with an expiration date of Feb. 5, 2023, or Feb. 5, 2025, and a Category Code of A11. Employees may present this EAD as evidence of identity and employment authorization for Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification.
A memorandum on DED was issued on Jan. 15, 2025, deferring through Feb. 5, 2027, the removal of certain eligible Hong Kong residents who were present in the United States as of Jan. 15, 2025.
There is no application for DED. Certain Hong Kong residents are covered under DED based on the terms described in the memorandum and are authorized to work in the United States. Eligible Hong Kong residents can apply for an EAD by filing Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization. The Department of Homeland Security may provide travel authorization at its discretion to those covered under DED. Individuals who wish to travel outside of the United States and re-enter must file Form I-131, Application for Travel Documents, Parole Documents, and Arrival/Departure Records.
USCIS adjudicates each request for an EAD on a case-by-case basis to determine if it meets all standards and eligibility criteria and completes screening and vetting to determine if there are any fraud, public safety or national security concerns.
DHS Terminating Temporary Protected Status for Afghanistan
Release Date
05/12/2025
WASHINGTON – Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem today announced the termination of Temporary Protected Status for Afghanistan. The TPS designation for the country expires on May 20, 2025, and the termination will be effective on July 14, 2025.
At least 60 days before a TPS designation expires, the Secretary, after consultation with appropriate U.S. government agencies, is required to review the conditions in a country designated for TPS to determine whether the conditions supporting the designation continue to be met, and if so, how long to extend the designation.
“This administration is returning TPS to its original temporary intent,” said Secretary Kristi Noem. “We’ve reviewed the conditions in Afghanistan with our interagency partners, and they do not meet the requirements for a TPS designation. Afghanistan has had an improved security situation, and its stabilizing economy no longer prevent them from returning to their home country. Additionally, the termination furthers the national interest as DHS records indicate that there are recipients who have been under investigation for fraud and threatening our public safety and national security. Reviewing TPS designations is a key part of restoring integrity in our immigration system.”
After consultation with interagency partners, Secretary Noem determined that conditions in Afghanistan no longer meet the statutory requirements. The Secretary’s decision was based on a U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services review of the country conditions and in consultation with the Department of State. The Secretary determined that, overall, there are notable improvements in the security and economic situation such that requiring the return of Afghan nationals to Afghanistan does not pose a threat to their personal safety due to ongoing-armed conflict or extraordinary and temporary conditions. She further determined that permitting Afghan nationals to remain temporarily in the United States is contrary to the national interest of the United States.
Additional information is available in the Federal Register Notice (PDF)
Link: DHS Terminating Temporary Protected Status for Afghanistan | USCIS
DHS Terminates Temporary Protected Status for Cameroon
Release Date
06/03/2025
The Department of Homeland Security posted a Federal Register notice on the termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Cameroon.
After reviewing country conditions and consulting with the appropriate interagency partners, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem determined that conditions in Cameroon no longer meet the statutory requirements for Temporary Protected Status.
The TPS designation for Cameroon will terminate on Aug. 4, 2025, 60 days after publication of the Federal Register notice. Aliens can use the CBP Home app to report their voluntary departure from the United States upon termination of their status.
Find more information about TPS at uscis.gov/tps. For more information on USCIS and its programs, please visit uscis.gov or follow us on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, YouTube, Facebook and LinkedIn.
Link: DHS Terminates Temporary Protected Status for Cameroon | USCIS
DHS Terminates Temporary Protected Status for Nepal
The Department of Homeland Security today posted a Federal Register notice on the termination of Temporary Protected Status for Nepal. After reviewing country conditions and consulting with the appropriate interagency partners, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem determined that conditions in Nepal no longer meet the statutory requirements for TPS.
The TPS designation for Nepal will terminate at 11:59 p.m. on Aug. 5, 2025, 60 days after publication of this Federal Register notice. If you are an alien who is currently a beneficiary of TPS for Nepal, you should prepare to return to Nepal if you have no other lawful basis for remaining in the United States. You can use the CBP Home mobile application if you intend to depart the United States.
Find more information about TPS at uscis.gov/tps. For more information on USCIS and its programs, please visit uscis.gov or follow us on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, YouTube, Facebook and LinkedIn.
Link: DHS Terminates Temporary Protected Status for Nepal | USCIS
Litigation-Related Update: Supreme Court stay of CHNV Preliminary Injunction
Release Date
06/06/2025
On May 30, 2025, the Supreme Court of the United States issued an order lifting the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts’s April 14, 2025 Preliminary Injunction that stayed parts of the March 25, 2025 Federal Register notice titled, “Termination of Parole Process for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans (CHNV).” See Noem v. Svitlana Doe, 605 U.S. ___ (2025). With this decision, DHS may proceed with terminating parole granted under the CHNV parole programs and with revoking any employment authorization based on being paroled under the CHNV parole programs. Aliens whose parole is terminated and whose employment authorization is revoked will receive notification in their myUSCIS account.
Link: Litigation-Related Update: Supreme Court lifts stay of CHNV Preliminary Injunction | USCIS
USCIS Initiates Removal Proceedings Against 26,000 Aliens Since February
Release Date
06/12/2025
WASHINGTON – Since U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services published new guidance on issuing Notices to Appear (NTAs) on Feb. 28, it has initiated removal proceedings against more than 26,700 aliens with no legal basis to remain in the country.
The guidance is in response to President Trump’s Executive Order Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The guidance addresses national security, public safety, and the overall integrity of the United States immigration system by strengthening enforcement of the Immigration and Nationality Act.
“This update has helped USCIS enforce existing immigration laws by once again issuing NTAs to removable aliens in the United States,” said USCIS Spokesman Matthew Tragesser. “Under the leadership of President Trump and Secretary Noem, we have returned to commonsense NTA policies and since February 2025, have issued tens of thousands of NTAs to restore integrity and ensure the security of our nation’s immigration system.”
The revised NTA policy is part of an ongoing series of efforts to restore integrity to the legal immigration system. USCIS is actively assisting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement by providing volunteers to support its operations and carry out its mission of protecting the public and ensuring integrity within the immigration system. USCIS returned to robust screening and vetting of immigration petitions and applications while prioritizing deterrence efforts. These screening and vetting efforts have led to approximately 1,840 NTAs a week and a 2,811% increase in fraud-related NTAs per month from the Biden-Harris administration era. This includes the issuance of approximately 500 asylum-related NTAs per week and 100 NTAs in Temporary Protected Status (TPS) cases per week. These efforts have reduced exploitation of the immigration system through humanitarian and TPS programs.
Under the new guidance, USCIS is generally defaulting toward issuing NTAs after the issuance of an unfavorable decision on a benefit request where the alien is removable from the United States. In limited situations, USCIS exercised prosecutorial discretion. The new guidance did not change procedures for cases in which NTA issuance was required by statute or regulation, nor did it change NTA procedures for TPS or Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (DACA) cases.
If the Secretary of Homeland Security terminates a nation’s TPS designation, former TPS beneficiaries of that nation who have no other authorization to remain in the United States may be subject to NTA issuance. These aliens should depart the United States and are encouraged to use the U.S. Customs and Border Protection CBP Home app to report their departure.
For more information on USCIS and its programs, please visit uscis.gov or follow us on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, YouTube, Facebook and LinkedIn.
Link: USCIS Initiates Removal Proceedings Against 26,000 Aliens Since February | USCIS
USCIS Issues Guidance Regarding Disclosure of Derogatory Information
Release Date
06/12/2025
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services is issuing policy guidance in the USCIS Policy Manual on how we disclose derogatory information upon which an adverse decision is based.
This policy guidance:
States that, if we plan to rely on derogatory information that a benefit requestor is unaware of, we will generally provide a detailed description of the derogatory information in a Notice of Intent to Deny, Request for Evidence, or Notice of Intent to Revoke; and
Clarifies when we may not disclose information, such as information that may be classified, sensitive, privileged, or otherwise subject to statutory protections and in other limited circumstances, such as when the information is provided in a third-party record or is subject to disclosure limitations.
This policy is effective upon publication and applies to pending benefit requests and those filed on or after the effective date.
Update to Policy on Disability Exceptions to Naturalization Requirements
Release Date
06/13/2025
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services is issuing policy guidance to enhance the integrity of the review process for Form N-648, Medical Certification for Disability Exceptions.
Under this guidance, USCIS is changing how we process Form N-648 by focusing greater attention on the veracity of medical certifications and identification and prevention of fraud, thereby enhancing the integrity of the process. Across the country and over the decades, there have been numerous instances where the medical certification process has been exploited. When a medical professional provides a false certification, it not only undermines the purpose of the disability exception but also weakens the credibility of the entire naturalization system because it causes USCIS to naturalize aliens who have not established eligibility for naturalization.
Generally, aliens applying for naturalization must demonstrate understanding of the English language and knowledge and understanding of the civics fundamentals of the history and principles and form of government of the United States. Aliens applying for naturalization who are seeking an exception to the English and/or civics requirements because of a medically determinable physical or developmental disability or mental impairment that has lasted, or is expected to last, at least 12 months, must submit Form N-648 attesting to the medical condition, which must be completed and certified by a medical professional.
The guidance confirms that the medical professional completing Form N-648 must explain how the disability or impairment leaves the alien unable to meet the English and civics requirement for naturalization (the presence of a disability alone is not sufficient).
This guidance also provides that submitting multiple Forms N-648 concurrently may raise concerns about the credibility of the disability or impairment claim and could be subject to further review.
This guidance, contained in Volume 12 of the USCIS Policy Manual, supports Executive Orders 14148 Initial Rescissions of Harmful Executive Orders and Actions and 14159 Protecting the American People Against Invasion. It is effective immediately, and applies to all naturalization applications and associated Forms N-648 filed on or after June 13, 2025.
DHS Issues Notices of Termination for the CHNV Parole Program, Encourages Parolees to Self-Deport Immediately
Release Date: June 12, 2025
WASHINGTON – “Today, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) began sending termination notices to aliens paroled into the United States (U.S.) under a Biden-era parole program for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans (CHNV).
The messages informed the illegal aliens both their parole is terminated, and their parole-based employment authorization is revoked – effective immediately. These notices will be sent to the email addresses provided by the parolees.
“The Biden Administration lied to America. They allowed more than half a million poorly vetted aliens from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela and their immediate family members to enter the United States through these disastrous parole programs; granted them opportunities to compete for American jobs and undercut American workers; forced career civil servants to promote the programs even when fraud was identified; and then blamed Republicans in Congress for the chaos that ensued and the crime that followed,” said Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin. “Ending the CHNV parole programs, as well as the paroles of those who exploited it, will be a necessary return to common-sense policies, a return to public safety, and a return to America First.”
Starting in 2022, the Biden administration released over 500,000 poorly vetted aliens into the U.S. under the CHNV parole program. President Trump canceled this program, and the Supreme Court upheld this cancellation on May 30, 2025. DHS is now notifying parole recipients if they have not obtained lawful status to remain in the U.S., they must leave immediately.
DHS encourages any illegal alien residing in the U.S. to self-deport with the CBP Home Mobile App. If they do so, they will receive travel assistance and a $1,000 exit bonus upon arrival in their home country.”
New “Status Change Report” for E-Verify Users Following Parole Termination and EAD Revocation
June 20, 2025
“The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is revoking Employment Authorization Documents (EADs) for certain aliens whose parole has been terminated. These revocations may be on a case-by-case basis or may be for groups, such as aliens paroled through the Processes for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans (CHNV). Your organization may have one or more employees whose EAD was recently revoked by DHS. E-Verify developed a new report to help you identify if any of your E-Verify cases was created with an EAD that has been revoked.”