Thousands of Haitians living in the US will apply for protection from today
January 21 2010 by Liam Clifford
Up to 200,000 Haitians currently living in the US are expected to apply for temporary protection status (TPS) when it becomes available from today.
The Obama administration has opened the gates to unregistered
Haitians who want to be able to work in the US legally without the risk of being
deported back to their earthquake-ravaged country. The TPS allows them to do
just this and US immigration authorities are preparing for huge numbers of
applications.
The earthquake in Haiti has left an estimated 200,000 dead
and 1.5 million people without a home. The TPS has been introduced as a way to
help Haitians already living in the US, albeit illegally.
The TPS will
last an initial 18 months and those who are granted protection will be issued
with US work visas. To be granted protection applicants must prove that they
hold Haitian citizenship and that they were living in the US before 12 January,
the day the earthquake struck.
The state of Florida is expecting to be
particularly bogged down with applications, with an estimated 30,000
unregistered Haitians living in the region.
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