Jeh Johnson, the Secretary of Homeland Security has extended Haiti's designation for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for another 18 months. The extension will be effective January 23, 2016 through July 22, 2017.

Under the extension, the current TPS beneficiaries who wish to extend their TPS status are required to re-register during a 60-day period, which runs from August 25, 2015 through October 26, 2015.

For those beneficiaries who are interested in this extension, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) encourages them to re-register as soon as possible.

The 18-month extension allows TPS beneficiaries to apply for a new Employment Authorization Document (EAD). If you are an eligible beneficiary, and you re-register during the 60-day window, you may request a new EAD and can receive one with an expiration date of July 22, 2017.

According to USCIS's website, they realize that some of the re-registrants won't receive their new EADs until after their current ones expire. Therefore, the USCIS will be automatically extending the current TPS Haiti EADs with a January 22, 2016 expiration date for an additional six months.

Now, these existing EADs are valid until July 22, 2016.

Documents required for re-registration:

• Form I-821, Application for Temporary Protected Status (it won't be necessary to pay the application fee).
• Biometric services fee if you're 14 or older, or a fee waiver request.
• Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization. This is required even if you don't want an EAD.
• Form I-765 application fee. If the re-registrant doesn't want an EAD, they won't have to pay the application fee.

If you need additional information on TPS for Haiti, including guidance on your eligibility, the application process, or where and how to file, contact an immigration attorney from our directory.