Form I-9 Related News

A memorandum on DED was issued on Jan. 15, 2025, deferring through Feb. 5, 2027, the removal of certain eligible Hong Kong residents present in the United States as of Jan. 15, 2025.  Eligible Hong Kong residents are employment authorized incident to DED. In addition, USCIS has automatically extended through Feb. 5, 2027, the validity of DED-related Employment Authorization Documents (EADs) with Card Expires dates of Feb. 5, 2023, or Feb. 5, 2025, and a Category of A11. Covered aliens may also apply for a new EAD that will be valid through Feb. 5, 2027. 

The Administration is committed to restoring the rule of law with respect to Temporary Protected Status (TPS). Nonetheless, on March 31, 2025, Judge Edward Chen, a federal judge in San Francisco, ordered the department to continue TPS for Venezuelans. See National TPS Alliance, et al., v. Kristi Noem et al., No. 3:25-cv-01766 (N.D. Cal. Mar. 31, 2025). The court did so even though the TPS statute says that TPS decisions are not subject to judicial review. For more information, please see the Federal Register notice. DHS has every intention of ending Venezuela TPS as soon as it obtains relief from the court order. Further updates regarding TPS Venezuela will be posted on this webpage.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has made minor changes to Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification, to align with statutory language, and updated the DHS Privacy Notice.

E-Verify recently experienced a technical issue with cases created March 23 - 26, 2025, for employees who presented either an I-551, Permanent Resident Card, or I-766, Employment Authorization Document, as their Form I-9 document.

Section 7.4.2. of the Handbook for Employers, M-274, has been updated to reflect a DHS-published final rule (89 FR 10354) that automatically extends the duration of status and any employment authorization granted under 8 CFR 274a.12(c)(3)(i)(B) or (C) for an F-1 student who is the beneficiary of an H-1B petition requesting a change of status.

On Feb. 20, 2025, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem partially vacated the July 1, 2024, notice that extended and redesignated Haiti for Temporary Protected Status (TPS). This new notice amends the period of extension and redesignation of Haiti for TPS from 18 months to 12 months and provides an amended end date of Aug. 3, 2025. EADs with a Category Code of A12 or C19 and a Card Expires date of Feb. 3, 2026, now expire on Aug. 3, 2025.

On Jan. 15, 2025, President Biden issued a memorandum directing the secretary of Homeland Security to extend Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) for certain Hong Kong residents, and to provide for continued work authorization through Feb. 5, 2027. At this time, DED-related Employment Authorization Documents (EADs) provided to certain Hong Kong residents have not been extended.

Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem decided on Feb. 1, 2025, to terminate the 2023 designation of Venezuela for Temporary Protected Status (TPS). TPS and related benefits associated with this designation will end on April 7, 2025. This termination decision does not apply to the 2021 designation of Venezuela for TPS, which remains in effect until Sept. 10, 2025, or to individuals who are registered for TPS under the 2021 designation.