Janet Napolitano, Secretary of Homeland Security, announced this week
that Haiti has been re-designated for Temporary Protected Status (TPS)
and its current designation has been extended for an additional 18
months. USCIS is strongly urging Haitian nationals who are affected by
their nation’s TPS status to carefully review the federal notice
regarding re-designation and to follow the instructions in that notice
for initial applications for TPS. Any person who does not have TPS or
pending TPS may begin applying right away, says USCIS. Requests for TPS
status must be filed on or before November 15, 2011. Any Haitian
national who currently has TPS status should wait to file for
re-registration until a notice describing re-registration steps has been
published by USCIS.
Haiti was first designated for TPS on January 15, 2010, just after the
country was devastated by major earthquakes. In the original
designation, applicants were required to show that they had continuously
resided in the U.S. since January 12, 2010. Under this new
re-designation, qualified Haitian nationals who arrived in the U.S. up
to one year after the earthquakes may now apply for TPS. Please note,
however, that any person who entered the U.S. illegally will not be
granted TPS.
