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Government Extends Residency To Haitian Earthquake Victims

MIAMI (CBSMiami/AP) — Some people displaced by the 2010 earthquake in Haiti have been extended residency and employment benefits by the U.S. government.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services officials said Monday that temporary protected status for eligible Haitian nationals had been extended through Jan. 22, 2016.

Haitians who had been living in the U.S. before Jan. 12, 2011, and were previously approved to temporarily live and work in the U.S. have until May 2 to register for the 18-month extension. The immigration benefits had been set to expire in July.

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.

Roughly 58,000 Haitians had approval for the benefits at the end of the 2013 fiscal year.

Additional information on TPS for Haitians, including guidance on eligibility, the application process and where to file-is available online at www.uscis.gov/tps .  Further details on this extension of TPS for Haitians including application requirements and procedures, are available in the Federal Register notice.

(TM and © Copyright 2014 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2014 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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