DHS Extends TPS Designation for Haiti by 18 Months
The Department of Homeland Security has extended Haiti’s temporary protected status (TPS) designation for an additional 18 months, through July 22, 2017.
Current TPS Haiti beneficiaries seeking to extend their TPS status must re-register during a 60-day period that began on August 25, 2015, and runs through October 26, 2015. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is encouraging beneficiaries to re-register as soon as possible.
The 18-month extension also allows TPS re-registrants to apply for a new employment authorization document (EAD). Eligible TPS Haiti beneficiaries who re-register during the 60-day period and request a new EAD will receive one with an expiration date of July 22, 2017. USCIS said it recognizes that some re-registrants may not receive their new EADs until after their current EADs expire. Therefore, USCIS is automatically extending current TPS Haiti EADs bearing a January 22, 2016, expiration date for an additional six months. These existing EADs are now valid through July 22, 2016.
Haiti was initially designated for TPS on January 21, 2010, after a major earthquake devastated the country. Following consultations with other federal agencies, DHS determined that current conditions in Haiti support extending the designation period for current TPS beneficiaries.
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);
- The biometric services fee (or a fee waiver request) if they are 14 years old or older;
- Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization, regardless of whether they want an EAD; and
- The Form I-765 application fee, or a fee waiver request, but only if they want an EAD. If the re-registrant does not want an EAD, no application fee is required.
Applicants may ask USCIS to waive the I-765 application fee and/or biometrics fee based on an inability to pay. To do so, applicants must file Form I-912, Request for Fee Waiver, or submit a written request. Fee waiver requests must be accompanied by supporting documentation.
