Humanitarian Parole 

Humanitarian Parole

Introduction 

Humanitarian parole enables an otherwise inadmissible individual to enter the United States temporarily due to urgent humanitarian reasons. Parole is not intended to be used to avoid regular visa-issuing procedures or to bypass immigration procedures. Parole does not confer any permanent immigration status, but does enable a recipient to apply for and receive employment authorization.

Humanitarian parole is typically granted for the duration of the emergency or compelling situation at issue. Anyone granted humanitarian parole must depart the United States prior to its expiration date or risk being placed on removal proceedings.  An individual paroled into the United States, however, may submit a request for reparole to USCIS to extend his or her stay in the United States.

Anyone may file an application for humanitarian parole, including the prospective parolee, a sponsoring relative, an attorney, or any other interested individual or organization.

Humanitarian parole is used sparingly to bring someone who is otherwise inadmissible into the United States for a temporary period of time due to a compelling emergency. Note that humanitarian parole may only be requested for persons who are outside of the United States.  Parole into the United States may be granted temporarily on a case-by-case basis for urgent humanitarian reasons or significant public benefit.

USCIS may grant parole temporarily:

  • To anyone applying for admission into the United States based on urgent humanitarian reasons or if there is a significant public benefit
  • For a period of time that corresponds with the length of the emergency or humanitarian situation

Parolees must depart the United States before the expiration of their parole.  You may submit a request for reparole, which must be approved by USCIS. Parole does not grant any immigration benefits.

Requirements for Parole

  • Anyone can file an application for humanitarian parole.
  • You may file an application for parole if you cannot obtain the necessary admission documents from the Department of State
  • You cannot use parole to avoid normal visa-issuing procedures or to bypass immigration procedures. As noted above, there must be an urgent humanitarian reason or significant public benefit for the parole to be granted
  • To see if you can obtain the necessary admission documents from the Department of State, see the “U.S. Department of State Visa Information” on the right

Filing for Parole
To file for parole you must:

  • Complete a Form I-131, Application for Travel Document, and Include the filing fee for each parole applicant
  • Complete a Form I-134, Affidavit of Support, for each applicant in order to demonstrate that you will not become a public charge
  • Include detailed explanation and evidence of your circumstances

If you are represented by an attorney, he or she must file a Form G-28, Notice of Entry of Appearance as Attorney or Representative.

All requests for parole must be submitted to:

USCIS Dallas Lockbox
For US Postal Service (USPS) Deliveries:
USCIS
PO Box 660865
Dallas, TX. 75266

For Express mail and courier deliveries:
USCIS
Attn: HP
2501 S. State Hwy 121, Business
Suite 400
Lewisville, TX 75067

You will receive a written notice once we have received your application and again when your case has been decided. If you do not receive a response within 120 business days, then you may contact the Parole Branch in writing at the address above.

If you are currently in removal proceedings or have been previously removed from the United States, you will need to submit your request to:

Department of Homeland Security/Immigration and Customs Enforcement
Office of International Affairs
Attn: Section Chief, Law Enforcement Parole Branch
800 N. Capitol St.
Washington, DC 20536

Reparole Request
We recommend that you file a request for reparole at least 30 days before the expiration date on your Form I-94, Arrival/Departure Record.

To apply for an extension of parole with USCIS you must:

  • Have received your humanitarian parole from USCIS
  • File Form I-131, Application for Travel Document, and on the first page write, ‘REPAROLE REQUEST’ in bold letters
  • Include the filing fee
  • File a Form I-134, Affidavit of Support
  • Include current supporting documentation
  • Include a copy of your Form I-94, Arrival/Departure Record, that you were issued upon parole into the United States

You must submit requests for extensions of parole to the following address:

USCIS Dallas Lockbox
For US Postal Service (USPS) Deliveries:
USCIS
PO Box 660865
Dallas, TX. 75266

Denied Parole Requests
There is no appeal from denial of parole. However, if there are significant new facts that are relevant to your application, you may submit new documents with updated supporting evidence following the “Filing for Parole” procedure outlined above.

Medical Parole
If you need humanitarian parole for medical reasons, you must submit the following, with documentation to support any assertions, where available:

  • An explanation from a medical doctor stating the diagnosis and prognosis, and how long the treatment is expected to last
  • Information on the reasons why you cannot obtain treatment in your home country or in a neighboring country
  • The estimated cost of the treatment and an explanation on how the treatment will be paid for
  • How you will pay to return to your country

Parole for Children with Medical Needs
Parole of children, including for medical needs, requires the consent of a parent or legal guardian.   

Expedite: To expedite the processing of this application, we recommend using express mail to send it to the United States.  Inquiries about the parole should be e-mailed to uscis.athens@dhs.gov with the notation “Requesting Information about Humanitarian Parole” on the subject line.

 

Guidelines

A Humanitarian Parole application package should contain ALL of the following:

  • Original Form I-131, Application for Travel Document
  • Original Form I-134, Affidavit of Support
  • Filing fee
  • Detailed explanation of the reasons why you are applying for Humanitarian Parole and the length of time for which you need Humanitarian Parole (the maximum time is usually limited to one year)
  • Detailed explanation of why you cannot obtain a U.S. nonimmigrant visa from the Department of State including:

o      when and where you attempted to obtain visas,

o      if you were denied, send a copy of the denial letter given to you

  • Detailed explanation of the reasons why you cannot obtain any required waiver of inadmissibility (if applicable) and a copy of the denial letter if you received one
  • Copies of any previously approved immigrant petitions (Forms I-130, I-140, I-360)
  • Copies of supporting documents (tax returns, doctor’s letters, etc) can also be referred to as evidence.

PLEASE NOTE:

  • All supporting documents should be included with the application when it is submitted to USCIS or the application may be rejected. Applications will not be processed until all documents are received.
  • Medical Parole:  If you need humanitarian parole for medical reasons, you must submit the following, with documentation to support any assertions, where available:

o      An explanation from a medical doctor stating the diagnosis and prognosis, and how long the treatment is expected to last;

o      Information on the reasons why you cannot obtain treatment in your home country or in a neighboring country;

o      The estimated cost of the treatment and an explanation on how the treatment will be paid for;

o      How you will pay to return to your country. 

  • Parole for children with medical needs:  Parole of children, including for medical needs, requires the consent of a parent or legal guardian.