On December 5, 2022, Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas extended the current Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haiti for another 18 months, beginning February 4, 2023 until August 3, 2024. He also announced the redesignation of Haiti for TPS, which will allow eligible Haitian nationals that have continuously resided in the United States as of November 6, 2022 to apply for TPS with the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) until August 3, 2024. Haitian nationals that entered the United States after November 6, 2022 are not eligible for TPS.
TPS is a temporary immigration status granting noncitizens the right to remain in the United States due to conditions in the designated country that prevent immigrants from that country from returning safely.
Secretary Mayorkas redesignated Haiti for TPS after consideration of the country’s current socioeconomic challenges, political instability, gang violence and crime, and recent catastrophic earthquakes. This redesignation will allow eligible Haitian beneficiaries that have been residing in the United States since November 6, 2022 to renew or apply for their initial Employment Authorization Documents (EADs) and for travel authorization.
The USCIS is expected to release a notice to explain the eligibility criteria, timelines, and procedures for current Haitian beneficiaries to renew their EAD and for new applicants to submit an initial application under the redesignation to apply for an EAD.
If you have any questions regarding Haiti’s redesignation for TPS, or any immigration matter, please do not hesitate to contact KILO Immigration, a Sacramento law firm, by filling out this contact form.