US may extend the date of accepting applications from Haitian for Temporary Protection Status. The country’s immigration department has been approached to extend the deadline for undocumented Haitians to apply for TPS. The US Homeland Security office announced that it may facilitate Haitians to file their applications for the Temporary Protection Status beyond July 20, 2010. The Homeland Security agency is responsible for processing these applications.

Apparently, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has acknowledged the request to prolong the deadline, a request made by a Miami-based activist. According to the representative, an extension for the TPS applications is required because of lawyers who have been helping Haitians in filing their applications are facing a number of problems. Reportedly, he has urged a 6-month extension for the TPS application filing.

Mayorkas further said that his agency has received about 52,000 Haitian TPS applications, which is relatively low number as compared to the 100,000 to 200,000 initially expected after the benefit was granted in the days following the devastating earthquake in Haiti in January. However, the activist later acknowledged that his agency expected an unrealistic number of TPS applications. According to him applications between 70,000 and 100,000 was a more realistic estimate.