Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Great news for Haitians!

From the DHS press release:

SECRETARY NAPOLITANO ANNOUNCES THE EXTENSION OF TEMPORARY PROTECTED STATUS FOR HAITI BENEFICIARIES
WASHINGTON—Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano today announced the extension of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haiti beneficiaries. This extension will be effective July 23, 2011 and is for an additional 18 months. It will allow these TPS beneficiaries to remain in the United States through Jan. 22, 2013. The designation of TPS for eligible Haitian nationals who had continuously resided in the United States since Jan. 12, 2010 was originally announced by Secretary Napolitano on Jan. 15, 2010 and became effective on Jan. 21, 2010. Currently, approximately 48,000 Haitian nationals with TPS reside in the United States.

In addition, Secretary Napolitano is re-designating Haiti for TPS—meaning that eligible Haitian nationals who have continuously resided in the United States since Jan. 12, 2011, will also be able to obtain TPS through Jan. 22, 2013. Under the original designation, TPS applicants needed to show that they had continuously resided in the United States since Jan. 12, 2010, but the re-designation now permits eligible individuals who arrived up to one year after the earthquake in Haiti to receive the protection of TPS. Many of these individuals were authorized to enter the United States immediately after the earthquake on temporary visas, humanitarian parole and through other immigration measures.

This re-designation of TPS applies only to those Haitians who have continuously resided in the United States since Jan. 12, 2011. Haitians who are not currently in the United States will not qualify for TPS.