KATHMANDU, JUNE 6
The United States has terminated Nepal's Temporary Protected Status.
The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) made the announcement through the notice in the Federal Register today. TPS allows immigrants from designated countries without another legal status to stay in the US for up to 18 months and get legal work authorisation when social circumstances prevent safe return.
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, announced that she will not extend TPS for Nepal after it expires on June 24, 2025 but beneficiaries will be granted a 60-day transition period through August 5, 2025.
Nepal was initially designated for TPS on June 24, 2015, for a period of 18 months, in the wake of the devastating earthquake that a former secretary determined resulted in a substantial, but temporary, disruption of living conditions.
DHS had extended the designation on October 26, 2016, for an additional period of 18 months and multiple occasions thereafter.
"After reviewing country conditions and consulting with appropriate US government agencies, the secretary has determined that Nepal no longer continues to meet the conditions for its designation for TPS. The secretary, therefore, is terminating the TPS designation of Nepal as required by statute," reads the notice.
According to DHS, approximately 12,700 Nepalese nationals (and aliens without nationality who last habitually resided in Nepal) have TPS under Nepal's designation. Of those, approximately 5,500 have become legal permanent residents of the United States. This means that over 7000 Nepalis will return to Nepal once TPS is terminated.
The department has cited several reasons in its report for terminating Nepal's TPS designation, including significant improvements in environmental disaster preparedness and response capacity, as well as substantial reconstruction from the earthquake's destruction, such that living conditions are no longer disrupted and Nepal is capable of handling the return of its nationals adequately.
The report has determined that the conditions that supported Nepal's designation for TPS on June 24, 2015, due to the earthquake, are no longer met.
The Nepal government and the international community have worked together to recover from the significant damage caused by the earthquake on April 25, 2015. According to the Nepalese Government's September 2024 Disaster Report on reconstruction, 88.36% of damaged households have been rebuilt.
The World Bank and other donors constructed over 300,000 homes and provided technical assistance to communities and local governments. Nepal's National Reconstruction Authority was disbanded in 2021, after the majority of impacted structures had been rebuilt.
"Though Nepal has continued to experience subsequent regional environmental events, including flooding and landslides, the government has made improvements to its preparedness and response capacity," reads the report.
"Similar progress has been made in building disaster-resilient housing, infrastructure, and community systems, thus creating a safer and more stable environment for returnees."
Despite remaining one of the world's poorest countries, Nepal's GDP increased by two per cent between fiscal year 2023 and fiscal year 2024. Nepal's economy has grown steadily in recent years and is expected to grow at a rate of 4.9 per cent this year. Inflation decreased in 2024, while lower-income households' purchasing power increased, according to the report.
