On April 26, 2018, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced its intention to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for citizens of Nepal living and working legally in the U.S.
Nepal was designated for TPS, granted by the U.S. to individuals from certain countries impacted by natural disasters or civil conflict, after the country suffered devastating earthquakes in April and May 2015. An estimated 9000 Nepalese currently have TPS, and are now slated to lose that status on June 24, 2019.
Nepal joins a long list of countries that the Administration has decided, often against the contrary wisdom of their own officials on the ground, are now safe and able to manage the repatriation of their citizens with TPS. To date, the Administration has announced termination of TPS for El Salvador, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Sudan. (Update: On May 4, 2018, the Administration added Honduras to the countries whose TPS status will be terminated).
In total (including Honduras), over 300,000 individuals will lose their TPS, putting them at risk of deportation and depriving them of their ability to continue to work legally in the U.S.
While many will be able to fight to remain in the U.S., if they do not qualify on some basis other than TPS, they will lack work authorization during that process, to their detriment and that of their families, their employers, and our economy.