Haitian Family Reunification Parole - Haiti Observer Blog

As of early next year, scores of Haitians, waiting to be reunited with their families who reside legally in the United States will be given the opportunity to do so through the scheduled Haitian Family Reunification program being instituted by the Department of Homeland Security. The aim of the program is to hasten the migration of qualified Haitians whose petitions have been granted, but who have been in limbo for years.

According to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, those eligible will be able to enter the U.S. and reside for about two years before the priority dates for their immigrant visas become current. It was made possible under a legal authority modeled after the 2007 Cuban Family Reunification Parole program. It gives authority to the Secretary of Homeland Security to bring these displaced individuals into the U.S., on a per-case basis, for humanitarian or socially beneficial reasons.

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Haitian Family Reunification Program begins in 2015. At the beginning of 2015 the Department of Homeland Security (DOHS) will begin the long-awaited Haitian Family Reunification Parole (HFRP) Program. It has been designed for designated, qualified Haitian relatives of U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents living in the U.S. as well.

The HFRP Program is an expedited process that will permit those who have petitioned for a family-based visa and been approved to come to the U.S. But a caveat applies: their priority dates must not exceed two years to receive the visas. As of now, under immigration rules an annual cap of 100,000 Haitians admitted to the U.S. is applied, so there are still many with approved petitions that are languishing on waiting lists that extend to over 12 years.

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The Obama administration has authorized U.S. Department of Homeland Security to start the Haitian Family Reunification Parole (HFRP) Program to fast-track reunification of qualified Haitian relatives of U.S. citizens. About 100,000 Haitians have applied for U.S. visas, but the HFRP Program restricts issuance to those with only a two-year wait. Upon arriving in the U.S. immigrants will qualify for a work permit, while waiting for a green card.

Advocates for immigrants have received news of HFRP Program's future implementation with pleasure, but as Executive Director of Americans for Immigrant Justice, Cheryl Little, commented she had hoped ". . . it wouldn't be as restrictive . . . in terms of which Haitians . . . are eligible to join their loved ones here, but . . . it's going to benefit a number of Haitian families, who have been waiting for this since the earthquake."

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Major policy shift announced by the Obama Administration toward Haitian Immigration in the US. On October 17, 2014, which is the day Haiti founding father Jean-Jacques Dessalines was assassinated in Pont Rouge, the Obama administration issued an executive Order approving the Haitian Family Reunification Parole program.

Beginning January 2015, U.S. Department of Homeland Security will implement a Haitian Family Reunification Parole (HFRP) Program to expedite family reunification for eligible Haitian family members. It is expected to cover over 5,000 Haitians currently living in Haiti.

Under this new Haitian Family Reunification Parole program, some people who have been waiting for years in Haiti will be allowed to travel and wait in the US instead for their legal status to be adjusted. While in the US, these people will be allowed to function and work legally.

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