Humanitarian Parole

What Is Humanitarian Parole?

Humanitarian parole is a way for you to enter the U.S. if you cannot obtain a visa. This grant is available if you are a foreigner to the U.S. and need temporary entrance into the country. If you live in the U.S., you may apply for humanitarian parole on behalf of someone who seeks to enter the U.S. but cannot do so for specific reasons.

The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) sparingly approves humanitarian parole under certain humanitarian conditions. This means that the USCIS only grants humanitarian parole if you cannot otherwise qualify for other existing visas.

How Do I Qualify for Humanitarian Parole?

As its name suggests, humanitarian parole is only available if you have an urgent humanitarian reason for entering the U.S. Urgent humanitarian reasons vary by case, and the USCIS exercises full discretion in admitting humanitarian parole applicants. Some qualifications that may pass for humanitarian parole include:

• Medical Reasons: If you or a family member is extremely ill and requires expert medical care that is only otherwise available in the U.S., you may apply for humanitarian parole.

In such cases, you must prove that the medical assistance you need is not available in the country that you or your family member lives in. You must also provide adequate information that the medical treatment you seek is unavailable in nearby countries. You may obtain such documentation from the doctor in charge of your diagnosis.

Your doctor’s official explanation should also include a comprehensive report of how long the medical operation might take and how much the treatment would cost. With an estimated cost, you would also need to explain how you intend to pay for the treatment you or the person you are sponsoring will undergo while in the U.S. This requirement usually needs an Affidavit of Support.

• Family Reunification Reasons: Reuniting with a family member (either an adult or child) in the U.S. is generally an acceptable reason for entering the country through humanitarian parole. If you have an extremely ill family member in the U.S. who may not have much time left, the USCIS may consider your request for family reunification.

You may also cite family reunification as your reason for entering the U.S. if a family member has recently passed away. Through this parole option, you may enter the U.S. to attend funeral services held in the country.

• Civil and Criminal Court Proceedings: If you or someone you know who lives outside the U.S. is a valuable witness to a civil or criminal court case, humanitarian parole can be a way for you or them to enter the U.S. to attend the trial.

To reiterate, the USCIS exercises discretion when accepting requests for humanitarian parole. The above reasons are only some of the common reasons that people cite when applying for this option for entering the U.S.

An uncommon reason to cite for humanitarian parole could be if your admittance in the U.S. somehow offers substantial benefit to the country, and you cannot enter the U.S. through standard visa options. That said, be sure to exhaust all existing visa options before applying for humanitarian parole.

How Do I Apply for Humanitarian Parole?

You need to file two forms to apply for humanitarian parole: The Application for Travel Document and the Affidavit of Support. You must completely fill out and sign each form, pay necessary fees, and provide supporting evidence and documentation that prove you can provide for yourself or the person you are sponsoring to enter the country.

Form I-131: Application for Travel Document

This form is a multipurpose form that people use to enter and leave the U.S. There may be certain sections that do not apply to your case if you are applying for humanitarian parole. You may consult with a skilled immigration lawyer to help you fill out the necessary details that apply to your request for humanitarian parole.

As a general overview, this form has two parts that you need to complete and sign for your humanitarian parole application. The first part covers your personal information. The second part is the application type section, where you specify what kind of request you are filing this form for.

When filling out this form, you will notice that there is no option for “humanitarian parole” under the application type section. Humanitarian parole falls under the “advanced parole” option, which is either item 1.E for applying for yourself or item 1.F if you are applying on behalf of someone else. Applying for either of these humanitarian parole options requires a filing fee of $575.

When filing this form, you must prepare all your initial evidence along with your main application as supporting evidence for your visit to the U.S. Such evidence may be medical documents from your doctor, detailing how you can only get the necessary treatment from the U.S., or a U.S. court order that requires your physical presence during an ongoing trial. Unless the USCIS says otherwise, be sure to submit original copies of your supporting documents along with clear photocopies of each.

Here is a checklist of required initial evidence for advanced parole applicants according to the USCIS:

If you are living in the U.S.:

• A copy of an official photo identity document.
• Two identical and recent (within a month of filing your application) passport-style photos of yourself.
• A copy of any document showing your current status in the U.S.
• Evidence that your visit is for humanitarian purposes (diagnosis or prognosis, court order, etc.)
• Further proof that your circumstances warrant issuance of an advance parole document.

If you are sponsoring someone living outside the U.S.:

• A copy of your photo identity documents.
• A copy of your beneficiary’s passport identity documents.
• A detailed explanation of the urgent humanitarian or significant public benefit reason for their entry to the U.S. This description may include documentation that details how long your beneficiary needs the parole. You may also have to submit documentation that explains a need for expedited handling under the USCIS if their visit is urgent.
• A completed and signed Form I-134 with necessary supporting documentation per the form’s instructions.
• If applicable, provide an official statement explaining why your beneficiary cannot obtain a U.S. visa.
• If applicable, provide a statement explaining why the beneficiary cannot obtain a waiver of inadmissibility.

According to the USCIS, you may send your completed form to either of the following mailing addresses if you meet the following conditions:

Form I-134: Affidavit of Support

You would normally need this form to sponsor a nonimmigrant visa applicant, so they do not become public charges when they enter the country. This Affidavit of Support is the specific form for humanitarian parole.

There is another USCIS Affidavit of Support for seeking admission to the U.S. as a lawful permanent resident. So, be sure to file the correct form when applying for humanitarian parole.

You may download this form from the USCIS website for free. You should fill out and complete each page legibly in black ink. Furthermore, you may also fill out the form electronically before printing. Be sure to sign every necessary signature line. The USCIS will reject unsigned forms.

You do not need to get your signature notarized when signing this form because signing Form I-134 is under penalty of perjury under U.S. law, meaning you may be guilty of lying under oath should any information in your form be found false.

If you are sponsoring multiple applicants for humanitarian parole, you must file separate forms for each individual. There is no filing fee for Form I-134. When filing this form, you should prepare your supporting documents to prove any claims you make when applying for humanitarian parole.

The USCIS may require you to submit the original copies of your supporting documents. You should still submit legible photocopies of the documents you submit. The USCIS may not return your original documents when they no longer need them. If the USCIS declares that you do not need to submit original copies of your supporting documents for your application, clear photocopies will do. This declaration varies on a case-to-case basis.

If you are sponsoring someone for humanitarian parole, you would need to prove financial stability and capability of supporting your sponsor’s entry into the country. Here are some of the financial documents that should be submitted:

• Official bank statement or declaration from a financial institution with deposits that identify the following details about your account:
  • When you opened your account
  • How much you deposited in the past year
  • Your current bank balances
• Employer or business stationery statements that detail the following:
  • Date and the nature of your job in the U.S.
  • Whether your position is permanent or temporary
  • Your salary
• Copies of your most recent income tax returns and supporting forms and schedules.

• If you are self-employed, provide the following documents:
  • Copy of the last income tax return you filed

How Long Does USCIS Take to Approve Humanitarian Parole Requests?

After filing the necessary forms, the USCIS will take anywhere between two and four months to review your application for humanitarian parole. If you believe that your case is urgent and time-sensitive, which may be the case in medical reasons for applying, you may request to expedite the process and make it go faster.

When the USCIS receives your application, the office will give you the following confirmations:

• Receipt notice confirming that the USCIS has received your forms and supporting documents.
• Notice for biometric services, if necessary.
• Notice to appear for an interview, if required.
• Notice of the USCIS’s official decision.

If the USCIS denies your humanitarian parole request, you cannot appeal their decision and request to review your case. However, you may re-apply for humanitarian parole if your circumstances have changed since you first applied or if you believe that a second request can be better prepared than your first request.

If the USCIS approves your humanitarian parole request, you may enter the U.S. according to the allotted time the USCIS grants your visit. You must leave the country before your visitation period expires to avoid going through removal proceedings and risk getting deported from the U.S.

How Long Is Humanitarian Parole Good For?

One year is the maximum length of stay that the USCIS can grant you or the person you are sponsoring to enter the U.S. through humanitarian parole. This period may end sooner if your case does not necessarily require a full year of staying in the country.

If your circumstances change while living in the U.S. and would require an extension of your stay, there are no provisions under the USCIS’s regulations that allow you to extend your humanitarian parole. However, you may request for re-parole, which would require you to submit a complete re-parole package and pay $305 in non-refundable fees.

Next Steps

The USCIS humanitarian parole program is your last resort to enter the U.S. if you have exhausted all other visa options. As your final option, the USCIS only approves requests that they deem urgent. Common reasons that approved humanitarian parole requests cite include medical reasons, family reunification reasons, and legal reasons.

If your reasons for applying fall under any of the common reasons, you will have to persuade the USCIS with sufficient supporting documents to ensure your entry into the U.S. Be sure to consult with a legal team skilled in immigration processes to review your candidacy for humanitarian parole and ensure that you can enter the U.S. under urgent humanitarian reasons.