The renewal period for Temporary Protected Status, or TPS, for Haitian nationals has been extended to Tuesday, January 29, 2013.
TPS is a temporary legal status granted to Haitian nationals after the earthquake that devastated Haiti in January 2010. Temporary Protected Status also offers Haitian nationals the opportunity to apply for work authorization, which permits them to work legally in the United States.
TPS must be renewed every 18 months. Haitian nationals must renew their TPS NO LATER than Tuesday, January 29, 2013. Upon renewal, TPS will be extended until July 22, 2014.
This renewal period is open ONLY to Haitian nationals who currently have TPS. With rare exceptions, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is NOT accepting new TPS registrations.
The basic eligibility requirements to renew Haitian TPS are:
- Applicant must be a Haitian national
- Applicant must have entered the U.S. prior to January 12, 2011
- Applicant must have resided in the U.S. continuously before or since January 12, 2011
- Applicant must have been approved for TPS previously (either in 2010, and timely re-registered in 2011 OR in 2011)
- Male applicants 18 years or older must be registered with Selective Service
The USCIS fees for Haitian TPS renewal are:
- $465, for applicant 14 years or older applying for employment authorization
- $85, for applicant 14 years or older not applying for employment authorization
- $380, for applicant under 14 years applying for employment authorization
- $0, for applicant under 14 years not applying for employment authorization
Fee waivers are available under certain circumstances.
Catholic Migration Services provides legal representation before USCIS to all Haitian TPS applicants we serve. Our fee for this service is $125.
If you would like more information, or if you are a Haitian national and need to re-register your TPS, please call our Brooklyn office at 718-236-3000 or our Queens office at 347-472-3500 AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
Click here to view the announcement from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services in English. Click here to view the announcement in Haitian Creole.
