TPS Re-Registration Period Extended for Haitians

On Thursday, December 27, 2012, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced an extension of the re-registration period for Haitian nationals who have already been granted Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and seek to maintain that status for an additional 18 months. Given the impact Hurricane Sandy has had on regions where Haitians reside, the re-registration period is extended through Jan. 29, 2013.

Haitian TPS beneficiaries are strongly encouraged to apply as soon as possible. Under this extension, USCIS also will accept applications from eligible individuals who have already applied after the close of the re-registration period on Nov. 30, 2012 and will continue to accept applications through Jan. 29, 2013.

The initial, 60-day re-registration period was established after the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced in October 2012 an 18-month extension of the TPS designation of Haiti, from Jan. 23, 2013, through July 22, 2014. 

Approximately 60,000 Haitian nationals (and people having no nationality who last habitually resided in Haiti) are eligible for TPS re-registration. TPS is not available to Haitian nationals who entered the United States after Jan. 12, 2011.

In the Oct. 1, 2012 Federal Register notice announcing the extension of TPS for Haiti, DHS also automatically extended—by six months, through July 22, 2013—the validity of Employment Authorization Documents (EADs) for eligible Haitian TPS beneficiaries. This will allow sufficient time for eligible TPS beneficiaries whose re-registration is timely to receive an EAD without any lapse in employment authorization.

To re-register, TPS beneficiaries must submit Form I-821, Application for Temporary Protected Status, and Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization. Individuals seeking to re-register do not need to pay the Form I-821 application fee. However, a biometric services fee (or a fee-waiver request) is required for all re-registrants 14 years of age and older. All re-registrants seeking employment authorization through July 22, 2014, must submit the Form I-765 fee (or a fee-waiver request). Re-registrants who do not want employment authorization are not required to submit the I-765 fee but must still submit a completed Form I-765. Failure to submit the required filing fees or a properly documented fee-waiver request will result in the rejection of the re-registration application.

A notice posted in the Federal Register contains more details on the re-registration period’s extension. More information can be found by visiting the USCIS Web site at www.uscis.gov/tps or by calling the USCIS National Customer Service Center toll-free at 1-800-375-5283. TPS forms are available free of charge through www.uscis.gov/forms and the toll-free USCIS Forms line at 1-800-870-3676.