Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano has announced the re-designation of Haiti for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and extended the country’s current TPS designation for 18 months—through Jan. 22, 2013.
Secretary Napolitano first announced that she was designating Haiti for TPS on Jan. 15, 2010, after major earthquakes devastated the country. The designation was effective on Jan. 21, 2010. Following consultations with other federal agencies, Secretary Napolitano has determined that current conditions in Haiti support extending the designation period for current TPS beneficiaries and re-designating Haiti for TPS. The re-designation re-establishes the date by which applicants must prove that they have continuously resided in the United States. Applicants must have continuously resided in the United States since Jan. 12, 2011.
The TPS re-designation of Haiti allows eligible Haitians (and persons without nationality who last habitually resided in Haiti) who do not currently have TPS, or have a pending TPS application, and who have continuously resided in the United States since Jan. 12, 2011, to start applying immediately. Applicants can file for TPS during a 180-day registration period that begins today and ends Nov. 15, 2011. The extension will also allow Haitians who currently have TPS to re-register from May 23, 2011, until Aug. 22, 2011, following publication of the second Federal Register notice on May 23, 2011, outlining re-registration procedures. Haitians who already have TPS must not file before May 23, 2011, for re-registration or their applications will be rejected.
Individuals who attempt to enter the United States illegally now will not be granted TPS and will be repatriated consistent with U.S. policy.
Applicants for TPS under the Haiti designation may refer to the following information as general instructions on how to file the TPS application. USCIS strongly encourages Haitian nationals to review the Federal Register notices published today on how to file an initial application for TPS, and later on May 23, 2011, on how to re-register for TPS.
