Haiti TPS renewal is on hold in an unusual posture as of 2026: the Department of Homeland Security’s termination of the designation was set to take effect at 11:59 p.m. on February 3, 2026, but a federal court stayed that termination one day earlier, so current Haiti TPS beneficiaries keep their status, removal protection, and work authorization while the litigation continues.1U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Update on Termination of Temporary Protected Status for Haiti The case is Miot et al. v. Trump et al., No. 25-cv-02471-ACR (D.D.C.). No new re-registration period has opened; the renewal picture is defined by a closed window, a narrow late-filing path, and an EAD extension that runs through the court order rather than through a routine USCIS notice.
Where Haiti TPS Renewal Stands Right Now
The 60-day re-registration window for existing Haiti TPS holders ran from July 1 through August 30, 2024.2U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Temporary Protected Status Designated Country: Haiti That window is closed. The initial registration period for first-time applicants under the same designation ran from July 1, 2024 through August 3, 2025 and is also closed.
If you re-registered in time during that window, your TPS continues under the court’s stay. If you did not, your options narrow to a late re-registration request, and you should move on it quickly rather than wait to see how the litigation resolves. A favorable court ruling does not automatically restore status for someone who never re-registered.
Late Re-Registration With Good Cause
Federal regulations give USCIS discretion to accept a late re-registration if you can show good cause for the delay.3eCFR. 8 CFR 244.17 – Registration USCIS has not published a definitive list of acceptable reasons. In practice, reasons that have been recognized include serious illness or hospitalization of the applicant or a close family member, a death in the family, homelessness, language barriers that prevented understanding of the deadline, and receiving incorrect information about TPS from an advisor or community member.
To request late filing, include a written explanation with your application describing why you could not file on time, along with supporting evidence such as medical records or other documentation. Without good cause, USCIS will withdraw TPS.
Forms, Documents, and Fees
The renewal packet is built around Form I-821, Application for Temporary Protected Status. You can file it together with Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization, if you want a new work permit.4U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I-821, Application for Temporary Protected Status
On Form I-821, provide your legal name, other names used, mailing address, and Alien Registration Number if you have one. On Form I-765, provide details of your most recent entry, including the date, the status you held, and your I-94 record number. The eligibility category code is A12 if you already have TPS or C19 if the application is still pending.
For identity and Haitian nationality, a valid Haitian passport is the strongest single document. A Haitian birth certificate with a certified English translation or a national identity card can also serve as primary evidence. If you cannot obtain any primary document, USCIS may accept secondary evidence, but you have to explain in writing why the originals are unavailable. Certified translations from French or Haitian Creole into English typically cost between $25 and $55 per page.
You also need records showing continuous residence in the United States since June 3, 2024 and continuous physical presence since August 4, 2024. Rent receipts, utility bills, pay stubs, bank statements, school records, and medical records all help. The more months you can document, the stronger the case. Gaps happen and are not automatically fatal, but large unexplained gaps invite scrutiny.
Form I-821 requires you to disclose every arrest, charge, and conviction, even if the case was dismissed or expunged. For each incident, obtain a certified copy of the court disposition. Leaving something out is worse than disclosing it: someone who obtains an immigration benefit through fraud or willful misrepresentation of a material fact becomes permanently inadmissible.5Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 8 USC 1182 – Inadmissible Aliens Convictions involving moral turpitude or controlled substances are among the bars to TPS eligibility, and the bars are broader than most people realize. If you have any criminal history, talk to an immigration attorney before filing.
What You Will Pay
Re-registrants pay no filing fee for Form I-821. First-time applicants pay $50. Every TPS applicant and re-registrant also pays a $30 biometrics fee.6eCFR. 8 CFR 106.2 – Fees Form I-765 costs $520 if you want a work permit. A re-registrant requesting employment authorization pays $550 total. A first-time applicant requesting a work permit pays $600.
If you cannot afford the fees, submit Form I-912, Request for Fee Waiver. You qualify if your household income is at or below 150 percent of the Federal Poverty Guidelines, or if you or a household member currently receives a means-tested government benefit.7U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Additional Information on Filing a Fee Waiver For 2026, 150 percent of the guideline for a single-person household is $23,475 in the 48 contiguous states and D.C. Attach tax returns, pay stubs, or a benefits letter to support the request.8U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I-912, Request for Fee Waiver
How to File and What Comes Next
USCIS accepts Form I-821 online and by mail.4U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I-821, Application for Temporary Protected Status Online filing through a USCIS account at my.uscis.gov lets you upload documents, pay fees, and receive electronic notifications. If you mail the packet, send it to the lockbox address in the Form I-821 instructions, which differs depending on whether you use the U.S. Postal Service or a private courier. Use a shipping method with tracking.
After USCIS receives the application, you get a Form I-797C, Notice of Action, with a receipt number.9U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Form I-797C, Notice of Action Use it to check case status online. The I-797C proves you filed; it is not an approval. Most applicants also receive a biometrics appointment notice for fingerprints and a photograph at a local Application Support Center.
Your Work Permit While the Court Order Holds
This is where the stay matters most day to day. Employment Authorization Documents issued under Haiti’s TPS designation are extended by the court order, even if the printed expiration date has passed.1U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Update on Termination of Temporary Protected Status for Haiti Cards with category codes A12 or C19 and printed expiration dates from July 22, 2017 through February 3, 2026 remain valid proof of work authorization while the stay is in place.
For Form I-9, USCIS instructs employers to write “as per court order” in the Section 1 expiration field and enter “July 1, 2026” in Section 2, with a note in the additional information box referencing the court order. If an employer is unfamiliar with the guidance, bring a printed copy of the USCIS I-9 Central update page to work.
Separately, TPS holders who timely filed Form I-765 to renew their EAD before October 30, 2025 may qualify for an automatic extension of up to 540 days. That extension runs from the card’s printed expiration date until USCIS decides the renewal, whichever comes first. To prove it to an employer, you need both the expired EAD and the Form I-797C receipt notice showing the timely renewal.10U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Handbook for Employers M-274 – 5.1 Automatic Extensions Based on a Timely Filed Application to Renew Employment Authorization For TPS-based EADs, the category codes on the EAD and the receipt notice do not need to match; A12 and C19 are treated interchangeably.
Keep Your Address Current
If you move while your application is pending or while you hold TPS, notify USCIS within 10 days by filing Form AR-11.11U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. AR-11, Alien’s Change of Address Card You can file online. Missing a biometrics appointment or a request for evidence because a notice went to the wrong address is one of the most preventable reasons people lose TPS.
Travel Is Risky Right Now
Leaving the country without advance permission can destroy TPS eligibility. If you need to travel, file Form I-131, Application for Travel Documents, before you go.12U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I-131, Application for Travel Documents, Parole Documents, and Arrival/Departure Records If approved, USCIS issues a Form I-512T authorizing travel and return. If your initial TPS application is still pending when the travel document is approved, you receive a Form I-512L advance parole document instead.
Even with an approved travel document, re-entry is not guaranteed. Admission is at the discretion of DHS officers during inspection, and being outside the country while a TPS case is pending means you can miss requests for evidence or other critical notices, or be denied while abroad. During this period of legal uncertainty, travel carries real risk.
If USCIS Denies Your Application
You can challenge a denial by filing Form I-290B, Notice of Appeal or Motion, within 30 calendar days of the date USCIS issued the decision. If the decision was mailed, the deadline extends to 33 calendar days.13U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I-290B, Notice of Appeal or Motion The clock starts from the mailing date, not the date you received the notice, so check your mail and keep your address current.
Common denial reasons include incomplete applications, missed biometrics appointments, failure to establish continuous residence or physical presence, and undisclosed criminal history. If the problem is something correctable, such as missing documentation, a motion to reopen with the missing evidence may resolve it faster than a formal appeal.
If the Stay Is Lifted
If the court order is eventually lifted and the termination takes effect, TPS holders revert to whatever immigration status they had before receiving TPS, if that status is still valid.14Federal Register. Termination of the Designation of Haiti for Temporary Protected Status For many Haitian TPS holders, that means no lawful status, since TPS was the only legal basis for their presence. Work authorization would end and removal protections would no longer apply.
Under the termination regulation, beneficiaries lose TPS automatically 60 days after publication of the termination notice in the Federal Register, or on the last day of the most recent designation extension, whichever is later. There is no individual appeal of a country-wide termination. If termination becomes imminent, consulting an immigration attorney about alternative relief, such as asylum or adjustment of status through a family petition, is the single most important step you can take.