Haitians given longer to apply for special US immigration status
July 13 2010 by Liam Clifford
The scenes in January this year
US immigration services have announced that the deadline for Haitians to apply for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) is to be extended by six months. This means Haitians now have until January 2011 to apply for the protection.
The TPS was introduced for Haitians already living in the US
at the time of the devastating earthquake that struck the island nation in
January this year. The status enables those who were living in the US when the
earthquake struck on 12 January, including those who were undocumented, to
remain living in the US. The protection status means they cannot be deported and
will be given a USA work visa to allow them to work in the US
temporarily.
The announcement was made by Alejandro Mayorkas, the head of
the US immigration department, while speaking at a news conference in Miami
yesterday. He also told newspapers that the department is considering bringing
in the TPS option for Haitians who moved to the US after the earthquake hit.
In addition, the department is examining the possibility of expediting
US visas for those whose petitions for relatives still living in Haiti have been
approved.
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