Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson has announced that Temporary Protected Status (“TPS”) for eligible Haitians will be extended for an additional 18 months, from July 23, 2014, to January 22, 2016.
Current Haitian TPS beneficiaries must reregister during a 60-day period, from March 3, 2014, to May 2, 2014. In addition to reregistering, Haitian nationals who wish to have employment authorization must apply for a new Employment Authorization Document (“EAD”). The new EADs will be issued with an expiration date of January 22, 2016.
Because of the volume of applications, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) expects that some applicants will not receive their new EADs prior to the expiration of their current EADs. Consequently, USCIS has automatically extended current Haitian TPS EADs bearing an expiration date of July 22, 2014, for an additional six months. This means that employers must treat current EADs as valid until January 22, 2015. For Form I-9 reverification purposes, employers can accept the current EAD and a copy of the Federal Register Notice announcing the extension of the Haitian TPS.
In order to reregister, qualified Haitian nationals must file Form I-821, Application for Temporary Protected Status, with USCIS. If they wish to obtain employment authorization, they must also file Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization. Additional information on TPS for eligible nationals of Haiti is available at www.uscis.gov/tps.