MIAMI (CBSMiami/AP) – Haitians who fled to the U.S. after a powerful earthquake rocked their homeland in 2010 will be able to stay and work here legally a while longs.

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano has announced extended temporary residency and employment benefits for eligible Haitian immigrants through July 2014.

Haitians with temporary protected status can register for the extension after Napolitano’s decision is published in the Federal Register this week.

The immigration benefits had been set to expire in January. Only Haitians who were living in the U.S. before Jan. 12, 2011, were eligible.

Temporary protected status allows immigrants from a handful of countries experiencing armed conflicts or environmental disasters to temporarily live and work legally in the U.S.

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