At 12:01 a.m. Eastern on 17 March, the Department of Homeland Security’s termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Somalia took effect, closing a 35-year chapter that began amid that country’s civil war in 1991. The notice of termination, first published in the Federal Register in January, gave beneficiaries a 60-day grace period to prepare for departure or secure another lawful status.
![Temporary Protected Status for Somalia officially ends today in the United States]()
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USCIS data show roughly 7,000 Somali nationals were still enrolled in TPS at the end of 2025, many concentrated in Minnesota, Ohio and the Washington DC region where they hold jobs in logistics, health care and community services. Work authorisation tied to TPS also lapses today; employers must complete new Form I-9 documentation or place affected staff on unpaid leave to avoid penalties. Local advocates report a surge in consultations on change-of-status strategies such as F-1 student visas for younger TPS holders and employment-based petitions for health-care workers. Airport officials at Minneapolis–St Paul and Columbus say they are coordinating with CBP to manage potential departures. ICE has indicated that it will not prioritise enforcement against former TPS holders during the 60-day “orderly transition” window but has not ruled out future actions. Community organisations are urging individuals to carry proof of legal consultations and to avoid international travel until a new status is secured. For global mobility programmes, today’s deadline is a reminder that humanitarian statuses can sunset abruptly. Companies with large Somali workforces should review succession plans and explore remote-work arrangements from Canada or Europe if petitions fail. The development may also foreshadow the administration’s broader push to pare back TPS designations, making proactive workforce audits essential in 2026.
Companies and individuals seeking to pivot quickly toward new visa categories may find it useful to leverage third-party services: VisaHQ, for instance, provides step-by-step application support, document checklists and digital filing tools for a range of U.S. non-immigrant visas and change-of-status petitions (https://www.visahq.com/united-states/), helping applicants navigate tight deadlines with fewer errors.
USCIS data show roughly 7,000 Somali nationals were still enrolled in TPS at the end of 2025, many concentrated in Minnesota, Ohio and the Washington DC region where they hold jobs in logistics, health care and community services. Work authorisation tied to TPS also lapses today; employers must complete new Form I-9 documentation or place affected staff on unpaid leave to avoid penalties. Local advocates report a surge in consultations on change-of-status strategies such as F-1 student visas for younger TPS holders and employment-based petitions for health-care workers. Airport officials at Minneapolis–St Paul and Columbus say they are coordinating with CBP to manage potential departures. ICE has indicated that it will not prioritise enforcement against former TPS holders during the 60-day “orderly transition” window but has not ruled out future actions. Community organisations are urging individuals to carry proof of legal consultations and to avoid international travel until a new status is secured. For global mobility programmes, today’s deadline is a reminder that humanitarian statuses can sunset abruptly. Companies with large Somali workforces should review succession plans and explore remote-work arrangements from Canada or Europe if petitions fail. The development may also foreshadow the administration’s broader push to pare back TPS designations, making proactive workforce audits essential in 2026.
