Under the Haitian Refugee Immigration Fairness Act of 1998, which allows certain nationals of Haiti residing in the US to apply for adjustment of status, reports on the number of applications received and granted are required to be made every six months.  The most recent report has just been released by the General Accounting Office, and provides a thorough picture of HRIFA applications.

The deadline for principle applicants to file for adjustment of status under HRIFA was March 31, 2000.  There have been bills introduced in Congress that would extend that deadline, but for now no more principle applicants may file.  There is no deadline for the filing of applications by dependents.  As of September 30, 2000 35,257 HRIFA applications had been received by the INS.  Of these, 35,042 had been entered into INS computers, while 215 were still in the mailroom.  As of September 30, 2000, the INS had approved 263 HRIFA applications.  HRIFA applications may also be filed with the Executive Office for Immigration Review if the applicant is currently before an Immigration Court or the Board of Immigration Appeals.  On September 30, 2000, the EOIR had received 95 HRIFA applications and had approved 65.

The GAO report includes two tables detailing the category of HRIFA applicants, which are reproduced here.

Table One – HRIFA Applications Received by the INS

Principal or dependent	Category of applicant	Number of applications	Applications approved
Principal	Asylum	17,268	182
Principal	Parolee	8,887	39
Principal	Child without parents	1,224	0
Principal	Orphaned child	238	0
Principal	Abandoned child	480	0
Dependent	Spouse	2,615	4
Dependent	Child	4,053	35
Dependent	Unmarried son or daughter	277	3
Total		35,042	263

Table Two – HRIFA Applications Received by the EOIR

Principal	Asylum	38	28
Principal	Parolee	18	13
Principal	Child without parents	25	15
Principal	Orphaned child	3	2
Principal	Abandoned child	2	2
Dependent	Spouse	6	3
Dependent	Child	1	1
Dependent	Unmarried son or daughter	2	1
Total		95	65