Family Reunification Parole

In May 2023, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced new family reunification parole processes for certain nationals from Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras, and their immediate family members, who have approved family-based petitions filed on their behalf by a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident.

Eligibility Criteria

You are eligible to file Form I-134A online to request to be a supporter and initiate the Family Reunification Parole (FRP) process on behalf of a principal beneficiary, and their immediate family members, if you meet the following requirements:

• You are either a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident (have a Green Card).
• You filed Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative, for a principal beneficiary and USCIS approved it.
• You received a written invitation from the Department of State to file Form I-134A to request to be a supporter and initiate the FRP process on behalf of the principal beneficiary of your approved Form I-130, and their immediate family members; and
• An immigrant visa had not yet been issued to the principal beneficiary at the time you were issued the invitation to file Form I-134A.

For you to request to be a supporter of the beneficiary, and for the beneficiary to ultimately be considered for a discretionary issuance of advance authorization to travel to the United States to seek a discretionary grant of parole, a beneficiary must:

• Be outside the United States.
• Be the principal or derivative beneficiary of an approved Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative.
• Be a national of a country with a family reunification parole process or a derivative beneficiary of an eligible principal beneficiary.
• Have a petitioning relative (you) in the United States who received an invitation to initiate the FRP process on their behalf.
• Have not yet been issued an immigrant visa at the time the invitation was issued to you; and
• Have an unexpired passport valid for international travel.

Application Process

If you receive an invitation, you can submit a Form I-134A, Online Request to be a Supporter and Declaration of Financial Support, for each beneficiary. You must submit a separate Form I-134A for each beneficiary. If the DHS confirms that your Form I-134A is sufficient, DHS will complete comprehensive security vetting on the principal beneficiary and their immediate family members and will consider the principal beneficiary and their immediate family members for advance travel authorization on a case-by-case basis. If DHS issues advance travel authorization to the principal beneficiary and their immediate family members, they will be able to come to a U.S. port of entry to seek parole.

Benefits

If granted parole, they may wait in the United States for their immigrant visa to become available and then apply to adjust status to lawful permanent resident (get a Green Card). Principal beneficiaries and their immediate family members who are paroled into the United States under these processes may request employment authorization upon entry by filing Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization, using the (c)(11) category code with the required fee.

Terminating Your Parole

If the beneficiary has already been paroled into the United States, their parole will automatically be terminated if they depart the United States or if their parole period expires.

If they depart the U.S. with an approved Advance Parole Document, they may seek parole back into the U.S. after their travel.

The DHS may also decide to terminate their parole upon notice at its discretion for other reasons, such as violating any laws of the United States. USCIS expects the beneficiary to leave the country when their parole expires or apply for an immigration status for which they may be otherwise eligible. If they stay in the United States after their parole expires and are not otherwise in a period of authorized stay, officials who encounter them may refer them to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for immigration proceedings.

Leaving the United States

If U.S Customs and Border Protection grants the beneficiary advance authorization to travel, they may present it only once for travel to the United States to seek parole at the U.S. port of entry. After they are paroled into the United States, if they want to leave the United States and then return as a parolee, they must request an Advance Parole Document by filing Form I-131, Application for Travel Document, before traveling outside the United States. If the beneficiary leaves the United States without getting an Advance Parole Document, they may not be able to return and seek parole back into the U.S.

Disclaimer: Immigration laws and policies can change, affecting the availability and requirements of the immigration processes mentioned above. Always seek legal advice or consult official U.S. government sources to understand the latest regulations and options available to individuals.