Americans may be opening their pocket books to help Haitians devastated by the January 12 earthquake, but a new poll suggests that the majority do not think the United States should increase the number of Haitian immigrants it accepts.

A new USA Today/Gallup poll from last Tuesday shows that nearly two-thirds of 1,067 national adults, aged 18 and older, interviewed between January 23 and 24 support keeping U.S. personnel in Haiti until basic services are restored, but 53 percent feel that America should not open its doors to Haitian migrants.

There was also a clear political divide, with 57 percent of Democrats in favor and most independents, but 67 percent of Republicans opposed. The results suggest increasing immigration from Haiti would likely carry political risk.

The poll comes on the heels of the January 15 move by the Obama administration to grant Temporary Protected Status for 18 months to undocumented Haitians living in the United States. The TPS designation for Haiti will remain in effect through July 22, 2011. The designation means that eligible Haitian nationals will not be removed from the United States and will also be eligible to apply to work in the United States. The 180-day registration period for eligible Haitian nationals to apply for TPS begins today and will end on July 20, 2010.

Says Gallup, "Americans, according to The Chronicle of Philanthropy, have -- as of Monday [January 25] – donated more than $438 million to help with rescue, relief and recovery efforts in Haiti. The majority of Americans, regardless of whether they have donated money to Haiti, say they worry that their money will not get to the victims fast enough or that it will not be used to directly assist the victims."

Meanwhile, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services is warning Haitians applying for TPS to be aware of immigration scams. USCIS has a dedicated website providing guidance on its response to Haiti at www.uscis.gov/haitianearthquake.

Haitians are advised that they do not need to have an attorney or a representative to apply for TPS. If they choose to have a representative when filing an application or petition with USCIS, they may be represented by an attorney or an accredited representative of a recognized organization. You must file a "Notice of Entry of Appearance as Attorney or Accredited Representative" form (Form G-28) with your TPS application.

All USCIS forms are available at no charge at www.uscis.gov/forms or by calling the USCIS forms hotline at (800) 870-3676. Applications for TPS cannot be submitted online. The fee to submit Form I-821, Application for Temporary Protected Status, is $50 for first time applicants. A biometrics fee of $80 may also be required. The fee to file Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization, is $340. If you cannot afford the fees, a fee waiver may be available.

Note: in order to avoid becoming a victim of an immigration scam, do not sign any blank papers or documents that you do not understand; do not sign any documents that contain false or inaccurate information; do not let anyone keep your original documents; do not pay more than a nominal fee to someone who is not an attorney or make payments on the Internet; make photocopies of all documents prepared or submitted for you; get a receipt any time you pay someone to assist you in completing or submitting forms; and verify that your attorney is licensed or your representative is accredited by BIA [Board of Immigration Appeals].