Humanitarian Parole for Haiti: CHNV, TPS, and Work Authorization

Humanitarian parole for Haiti no longer exists as a categorical program. The Processes for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans (CHNV) was formally terminated by DHS on March 25, 2025, and the Supreme Court cleared the way on May 30, 2025 for DHS to end individual parole grants and revoke work authorization for people already in the country under it.¹ The related Haitian Family Reunification Parole (HFRP) program is also closed to new applications, and Temporary Protected Status for Haiti is only continuing because of a court order that the government has appealed.

If You Are Already in the U.S. Under CHNV Parole

Your parole has been terminated regardless of the two-year end date on your original approval. Your Employment Authorization Document issued under the C11 category has been revoked, and USCIS is directing former CHNV parolees to return the physical EAD card.² Employers who re-verify work authorization through E-Verify or updated Form I-9 checks will find the status no longer valid.

Remaining in the United States without another valid immigration status exposes you to removal proceedings and can create bars to future immigration benefits. If you also hold Temporary Protected Status, a pending asylum application, or another separate status, that other status may still protect you. CHNV parole standing alone no longer does.

Talk to an immigration attorney quickly. Free and low-cost help is available through legal aid organizations and providers funded by the Office of Refugee Resettlement, though demand is heavy.

Haitian Family Reunification Parole Is Separate, and Currently Protected by Court Order

HFRP is a different program, established in 2014, that let certain U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents with approved I-130 petitions request parole for family members in Haiti. USCIS is no longer accepting new Form I-131 requests for initial HFRP applications.³

DHS published a Federal Register notice on December 15, 2025 terminating the Family Reunification Parole programs for several countries, including Haiti. On January 24, 2026, a federal district court in Massachusetts issued a preliminary injunction blocking DHS from terminating previously granted parole or revoking employment authorization for people already paroled under FRP programs, up to their original parole end dates. DHS has stated it is complying with the order. Termination notices sent to FRP parolees are stayed and not currently in effect.³

This protection is only as durable as the injunction. If an appellate court or the Supreme Court lifts it, FRP parolees would face the same outcome CHNV parolees did. Anyone currently protected should be tracking the litigation and pursuing longer-term options with counsel.

Temporary Protected Status for Haiti

TPS is a distinct legal status from parole, with a different statutory basis. The Secretary of Homeland Security announced termination of Haiti’s TPS designation, with benefits originally set to end February 3, 2026. One day before that deadline, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia stayed the termination. Under that order, TPS for Haiti continues and previously issued Haiti TPS EADs remain valid.⁴

Holding CHNV parole did not automatically give you TPS. TPS requires continuous physical presence in the United States since a specific date set in the designation, plus registration during an open window. Someone who arrived on CHNV parole and was present during an open Haiti TPS registration period may have been eligible to register, but if you did not register at the time that window may have closed. The government has appealed the stay, so the situation can change.

Work Authorization by Program

CHNV parolees: your C11 EAD has been revoked. You are not authorized to work, and USCIS wants the card returned.²
FRP parolees: employment authorization remains valid under the January 2026 injunction, until your original parole end date or until the injunction is lifted, whichever comes first.³
Haiti TPS holders: EADs have been extended by court order. For Form I-9, employers should enter the court-order-related expiration date per USCIS instructions.⁴

If you have a separate basis for work authorization, such as a pending asylum case or another qualifying category, you may apply for an EAD under that category. The Form I-765 filing fee for an initial parole-based EAD is $560 as of January 2026; renewals cost $280.⁵ USCIS accepts fee waiver requests through Form I-912 for applicants who can show inability to pay, though not every form category is eligible.⁶

Federal Benefits Under the 2025 Reconciliation Act

Federal benefits eligibility for Haitian parolees has narrowed. Starting in fiscal year 2027, the reconciliation act restricts Medicaid and CHIP eligibility to U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents, Cuban-Haitian entrants, and Compact of Free Association migrants. Parolees, including those granted parole for a year or more, are excluded under the new framework.⁷

For SNAP, the act eliminates benefits for most legally present noncitizens but carves out an exception for Cuban and Haitian entrants. “Cuban/Haitian entrant” is a specific legal classification and not everyone who came from Haiti automatically qualifies. Whether a former CHNV parolee whose parole has been terminated retains this entrant status for benefits purposes is a question worth taking to an attorney.⁷

Emergency medical services through Medicaid remain available regardless of immigration status, though the act reduces the federal matching rate for emergency Medicaid provided to individuals who are not lawfully present in states that expanded Medicaid.

Legal Obligations That Continue After Parole Ends

You must still report any change of address to USCIS within 10 days of moving, either through your USCIS online account or by mailing Form AR-11.⁸ Failing to report can add immigration consequences on top of what you already face.

There is no mechanism to extend or renew CHNV parole. If you leave the United States after parole termination, you cannot re-enter under that parole, and departure ends your physical presence in the country, which can affect other forms of relief that require continuous presence, such as cancellation of removal.

If You Are Outside the U.S. Hoping to Come Through Parole

No categorical pathway exists for Haitians in 2026. CHNV is closed. HFRP is closed to new applications.³

The underlying statute has not been repealed. Section 212(d)(5)(A) of the Immigration and Nationality Act still allows the Secretary of Homeland Security to parole an individual into the United States on a case-by-case basis for urgent humanitarian reasons or significant public benefit.⁹ Individual humanitarian parole requests are still technically possible, but they require showing an urgent, individualized humanitarian need, and approval rates reflect the current administration’s stated preference for limiting parole grants.

People with approved family-based immigrant petitions (Form I-130) remain in line for immigrant visa processing through normal consular channels. Wait times for those visas are often measured in years.

1
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Supreme Court Stay of CHNV Preliminary Injunction
2
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. FAQs on the Effect of Changes to Parole and Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for SAVE Agencies
3
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. The Haitian Family Reunification Parole (HFRP) Program
4
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Update on Termination of TPS for Haiti
5
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Announces FY 2026 Inflation Increase for Certain Immigration-Related Fees
6
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I-912, Request for Fee Waiver
7
U.S. Congress. H.R.1 – 119th Congress (2025-2026)
8
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. AR-11, Alien’s Change of Address Card
9
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 8 USC 1182 – Inadmissible Aliens