- Sudan is identified as the only African country with an active US Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designation in 2026
- Eligible Sudanese nationals covered by TPS receive protection from deportation and may obtain authorization to work in the United States while their status remains valid
- The designation was scheduled to remain in effect through October 19, 2026, with US authorities indicating that a further announcement would be made regarding Sudan’s TPS
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Sudan is the only African country identified as having an active Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designation from the United States in 2026, offering eligible Sudanese nationals protection from deportation and permission to work while their status remains valid.
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The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) confirmed that Sudan’s designation was scheduled to remain in effect through October 19, 2026. The extension was published in the Federal Register on January 17, 2025.
According to USCIS, a further announcement regarding Sudan’s TPS would be made “at the appropriate time.” The agency stated that eligible Sudanese nationals covered by the existing designation would retain their protection and work authorization until that announcement was issued.
Important date clarification: October 19, 2026, has now passed. The date in the reported extension does not, by itself, establish whether Sudan’s TPS has since been extended, terminated or otherwise changed. Sudanese nationals should check the latest USCIS announcements before relying on the earlier deadline as reported by Yen News.
What Sudan’s Temporary Protected Status covers
The United States first designated Sudan for TPS on April 19, 2022. The designation period discussed in the January 2025 notice began on October 20, 2023.
Eligibility under that designation applied to Sudanese nationals who had continuously resided in the United States since August 16, 2023, and had been physically present in the country by October 20, 2023. Applicants must also satisfy the other applicable TPS eligibility requirements.
TPS is a humanitarian immigration measure that allows eligible nationals of designated countries to remain temporarily in the United States when conditions in their home countries make a safe return difficult or impossible.
The programme can provide protection from deportation and employment authorization, but it does not automatically grant permanent residence or US citizenship.
Work authorization and registration deadlines
Under the January 2025 Federal Register notice, employment authorization documents for qualifying Sudanese nationals were automatically extended through April 19, 2026.
The re-registration period for the cycle covered by that notice opened on January 17, 2025, and closed on March 18, 2025.
Because both the reported work-document extension and the TPS designation deadline have passed, affected individuals should consult current USCIS guidance to establish whether they remain eligible for protection and employment authorization.
Why Sudan qualifies for TPS
The United States grants TPS to eligible nationals of countries experiencing conditions such as armed conflict, environmental disasters or other extraordinary and temporary circumstances that prevent safe return.
Sudan’s designation is linked primarily to the country’s ongoing civil war, which escalated in April 2023 and has caused widespread displacement and a severe humanitarian crisis.
The conflict has made safe return difficult for many Sudanese people, forming the basis for the US humanitarian protection measures described in the designation.
Sudanese nationals living in the United States should rely on the latest official updates from USCIS for information about the current status of the designation, registration requirements and the validity of their work authorization.
US moves to end TPS protections for African nationals
TUKO.co.ke reported that the United States moved to end Temporary Protected Status for nationals of several countries, putting thousands of African workers at risk of losing work authorisation.
The affected nationalities included people from Ethiopia, Somalia and South Sudan, whose work permits faced expiry deadlines in July 2026.
The changes followed legal challenges and policy decisions by the Trump administration over the continuation of humanitarian immigration protections.
Source: TUKO.co.ke