Employers Begin Laying Off Haitian Workers as Their Permits Lapse Without Extension

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services stopped extending work permits for Haitian Temporary Protected Status holders on Monday, July 27, 2026, and employers began suspending and dismissing workers within days, the Associated Press reported. About 350,000 Haitians who had lived and worked legally in the United States since 2010 were covered; the Supreme Court cleared the way for termination on June 25. In Massachusetts alone, GBH News reported at least 19,000 people lost status, with roughly 1,500 nursing-care workers affected according to the state attorney general’s office.

The lapse turns an immigration decision into an immediate labor-supply shock in sectors that already run thin — nursing homes, home care, hospitals and construction — and leaves employers unsure which permits remain valid. USCIS had previously issued extensions of only a few days, often on the day permits expired.

DHS told the AP that TPS was created to be temporary and encouraged Haitians to request a $2,600 payment toward a "free flight home," adding: "It’s closing time, which means you don’t have to go home, but you can’t stay here." USCIS did not respond to the AP’s request to clarify the validity of outstanding permits.