As required by the statute, at least 60 days before the expiration of a current Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designation or extension and after consultation with appropriate government agencies, the conditions in the foreign state must be reviewed to determine whether conditions for the TPS designation continue to be met.

Following this required review, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced on Jan. 10, 2025, the extension of TPS for Ukraine for 18 months, from April 20, 2025, through Oct. 19, 2026. DHS also posted a Federal Register notice for public inspection.

The extension of TPS for Ukraine allows current beneficiaries to re-register to retain TPS through Oct. 19, 2026, if they otherwise continue to meet the eligibility requirements for TPS. Existing TPS beneficiaries who wish to extend their status through Oct. 19, 2026, must re-register during the 60-day re-registration period.

We will continue to process pending applications filed under previous TPS designations for Ukraine. Individuals with a pending Form I-821, Application for Temporary Protected Status, or a related Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization, as of Jan. 17. 2025, do not need to file either application again. If we approve a pending Form I-821 or Form I-765 filed under the previous designation of TPS for Ukraine, we will grant the individual TPS through Oct. 19, 2026, and issue an Employment Authorization Document valid through the same date.

The Department of Homeland Security’s H-1B final rule and H-2 final rule take effect on Friday, Jan. 17, 2025. To implement the final rules, USCIS will also publish a revised Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker (edition date 01/17/25) on Jan. 17, reflecting combined changes associated with the two final rules. As previously announced, the 01/17/25 edition of Form I-129 has no grace period, because the revised edition is necessary to apply the final rules.

The H-1B final rule modernizes the H-1B program by streamlining the approval process, increasing its flexibility to better allow employers to retain talented workers, and improving the integrity and oversight of the program. The H-2 final rule significantly strengthens worker protections by, among other things, imposing new consequences on companies that charge prohibited fees or violate our labor laws, and provides greater flexibility for H-2A and H-2B workers. Both rules were published in the Federal Register on Dec. 18, 2024.

What You Need to Know
Effective Jan. 17, we will only accept the 1/17/25 edition of Form I-129 and will reject any Form I-129 petitions received using the 04/01/24 and prior editions of Form I-129. If you file Form I-129 on paper by mail, please note that:

• We will accept the 04/01/24 edition of Form I-129 if it was received before Jan. 17, 2025;
• We will reject the 04/01/24 edition of Form I-129 if it is received on or after Jan. 17, 2025; and
• We will only accept the 01/17/25 edition of Form I-129 if it is received on or after Jan. 17, 2025.

Guidance
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