Update: This post has become out of date. Please follow this link for the latest information on Temporary Protected Status Pertaining to Haiti.
TPS is a temporary legal status granted to Haitian nationals. 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 July 24, 2017. Upon renewal, TPS will be extended until July 22, 2018.
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.
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 for information about Haitian TPS in Kreyòl Ayisyen.
Article written by Deacon Paul Dorsinville, Health Education Coordinator and Kimberley Kearns, Public Ally/Capacity Building Specialist
Special thanks to the Legal Aid Society’s Immigration Law Unit for information.
