The Secretary of Homeland Security, Alejandro N. Mayorkas, announced today theThe extension of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haiti for an additional 18 months, from February 4, 2023 to August 3, 2024, due to extraordinary and temporary conditions in the country. The secretary also redesignated Haiti to TPS, allowing Haitian nationals residing in the United States from November 6, 2022 to apply for TPS through August 3, 2024, provided they meet all eligibility requirements. It is important to note that Haitians who enter the United States after November 6, 2022 are not eligible for TPS and, like anyone else who does not have a legal basis to remain in the United States, will be subject to removal. For a repeat: Haitians who enter the United States after November 6, 2022, including those who might be considering entering now, are not eligible for TPS.

“We are providing much-needed humanitarian aid to Haitian nationals already present in the United States,” said Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro N. Mayorkas. "Conditions in Haiti, including socioeconomic challenges, political instability, and gang violence and crime, compounded by the environmental disaster, made the humanitarian aid we provide today mandatory." 

Secretary Mayorkas extended and redesignated Haiti to TPS after consulting with interagency partners and careful consideration of the extraordinary and temporary conditions in Haiti, including a protracted political crisis; severe insecurity and gang crime that worsened a dire economic situation; lack of access to food, water, fuel, and medical care during a cholera resurgence; and the recent catastrophic earthquakes.

As stated above, it is important to note that TPS will apply only to those people who have already been residing in the United States since November 6, 2022 and who meet all other requirements. Those who attempt to travel to the United States after this announcement will not be eligible for TPS and, if they enter illegally or without legal authorization, will be subject to repatriation.  

A soon-to-be-published Federal Register notice will explain the eligibility criteria, timelines, and procedures necessary for current beneficiaries to re-register and renew Employment Authorization Documents (EADs) and for new applicants to file an initial application under the redesignation and apply for an EAD.