Haiti TPS Update

by Mark Yelich, Senior Attorney

USCIS announced that it is extending the re-registration period for Haitian nationals who were previously granted Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and who would like to extend that status for an additional 18 months. USCIS will now accept applications for re-registration through July 22, 2014 (the initial re-registration period closed on May 2, 2014). The TPS designation for Haiti was recently extended for 18 months and will be in effect from July 23, 2014 through January 22, 2016.

We previously posted an update regarding the TPS extension process for eligible Haitian nationals. To re-register, current TPS beneficiaries must submit Form I-821, Application for Temporary Protected Status. Re-registrants do not need to pay the I-821 application fee, but they must submit the biometric services fee ($85), or a fee waiver request, if they are age 14 or older.

The 18-month extension also allows TPS re-registrants to apply for a new employment authorization document (EAD). TPS re-registrants requesting an EAD must submit the Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization, application fee ($380), or a fee waiver request. Eligible Haitian TPS beneficiaries who re-register during the 60-day period and request a new EAD will receive one with an expiration date of January 22, 2016. Therefore, USCIS is automatically extending current TPS Haiti EADs bearing a July 22, 2014, expiration date for an additional six months. These existing EADs are now valid through January 22, 2015.

USCIS is hosting a stakeholder teleconference on Wednesday, May 14, 2014, from 1:00pm to 2:00pm, to discuss the TPS extension for Haitian nationals.

Additional information can be found in the May 2, 2014 Federal Register notice.