News Americas, BROOKLYN, NY, Fri. Dec. 28, 2012: The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has announced an extension of the re-registration period for Haitian nationals who are current beneficiaries of Temporary Protected Status, (TPS).
Caribbean American Representative, Yvette D. Clarke, welcomed the extension and urged all eligible Haitian nationals to ensure they apply through the new date – Jan. 29, 2013.
Thousands of Haitian TPS beneficiaries were expected to submit their applications in order to maintain their current status for an additional eighteen months.
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.
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.
“Nearly three years after the earthquake, the situation in Haiti has not improved. Tent camps and the cholera epidemic continue to linger as threats to the recovery efforts of this island nation,” said Representative Clarke. “The 11th Congressional district includes the second largest population of Haitian immigrants in the country, and TPS has enabled this community to secure employment in order to support themselves in the U.S. and their families in Haiti. It is imperative that we continue to provide the resources necessary to help Haiti rebuild.”
After the recent devastation caused by Hurricane Sandy in New York and the surrounding region, several Members of Congress signed on to a letter urging for the extension of the deadline which was previously November 30, 2012.
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.
