Haitian nationals who currently have Temporary Protected Status (TPS) must re-register for this status by 2nd May, 2014. Haitian TPS beneficiaries who fail to re-register are likely to lose their TPS and their ability to work legally in the U.S.
To re-register for this temporary status, Haitian TPS beneficiaries need to file Form I-821, Application for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization . Both forms must be filed whether or not the applicants seek to work in the U.S.
Re-registrants need not pay the I-821 application filing fee, but the fee for biometrics services must be paid by all the applicants above age 14. Likewise, the I-765 application filing fee must be paid only by the re-registrants who are requesting Employment Authorization Documents (EAD) and not by the applicants who do not want EADs. People who cannot afford the fee can submit fee waiver requests.
New work permits that will expire as of January 22, 2016 will be issued to the re-registrants who request work permits. Some applicants may not receive new work permits until their current permits expire. Due to this reason, USCIS has announced that the current TPS EADs that will expire on July 22, 2014 will be extended and those EADs will now be valid through January 22, 2015.
Haitian TPS beneficiaries will need to file their applications for re-registration before May 2, 2014, after which no applications for TPS re-registration will be accepted by USCIS. It must be remembered that only those who already have TPS can apply for re-registration.