There are around 50,000 Haitian nationals in the U.S. with Temporary Protected Status (TPS). If you are a Haitian national and if you have TPS, this is the right time for you to re-register for TPS. The last date to re-register is May 2, 2014.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) recently made an announcement stating that Haitian nationals who have TPS will need to file their applications for re-registration before the end of the re-registration period. TPS beneficiaries who fail to file their applications by May 2, 2014 will lose their TPS and their employment authorization and will be required to leave the country.
To re-register, you will need to file Form I-821, Application for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) along with Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization. You must file Form I-765 even if you do not want an Employment Authorization Document (EAD).
Since you are a re-registrant, you need not pay the Form I-821 filing fee. But you must pay the fee for biometrics services. If you need a work permit, you must also pay the Form I-765 filing fee. If you cannot afford to pay the biometrics fee and the filing fee for Form I-765, you can a submit fee waiver request. People who do not need work permits need not pay the Form I-765 filing fee.
You will receive a new EAD with a January 22, 2016 expiration date if you apply for a work permit under this extension. However, new work permits will not be issued to some re-registrants until their current permits expire and due to this reason the validity of the current TPS EADs will automatically be extended for six months. Your current TPS EAD (if you already have one) will not expire on July 22, 2014; it will be valid through January 22, 2015. You can then file an application for a new EAD 90 days before the expiration of your current EAD.
Haiti was designated for TPS soon after a massive earthquake hit the country on January 12, 2010. Soon after the country was designated for TPS, USCIS started to accept applications for this temporary status from eligible Haitians in the U.S. In March 2014, the designation of Haiti for TPS was extended for 18 months. This extension will allow the Haitian TPS beneficiaries to retain their temporary status through January 22, 2016.
IMPORTANT: Last date for filing applications for TPS re-registration is May 2, 2014. Failure to file may result in having to leave the country.