The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced on December 9, 2020, an extension of the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designation for El Salvador, Nicaragua, Sudan, Honduras, and Nepal through October 4, 2021. TPS is a temporary status that allows nationals of designated countries to remain and, in some cases, work in the United States until it is considered safe to return to their home country.

This nine-month extension is the result of a preliminary injunction issued in the case of Ramos, et al. v. Nielsen, et al., No. 18–cv–01554 (N.D. Cal. Oct. 3, 2018) by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, preventing the government from suspending TPS benefits. Although this injunction was later vacated by a panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, the appellate court has not issued its directive to the district court to make the ruling effective, so the injunction from Ramos remains in place. The TPS designation for the countries mentioned above was set to expire on January 4, 2021. This announcement comes as a relief to those depending on the TPS designation to remain in the United States.

As a result of the DHS announcement, the validity of TPS-related documentation for beneficiaries under the TPS designations for El Salvador, Haiti, Nicaragua, Sudan, Honduras, and Nepal is automatically extended through October 4, 2021.