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Advance Parole Explained

Parole allows an immigrant to enter the United States for humanitarian reasons or if the entry will create a significant public benefit for a limited period. Someone who is paroled is considered to be a valid applicant for admission and can appear at a port of entry to request entry into the country.

Some immigrants living in the U.S. who want to travel abroad can request advance parole or advanced permission to present themselves for entry. Advance parole can replace a visa and help ensure your immigration application is not considered abandoned. However, advance parole does not guarantee reentry.

Obtaining advance parole does not necessarily mean leaving the U.S. will have no impact on pending immigration applications, as adjustment of status typically requires meeting certain physical presence requirements. You should speak with an immigration lawyer before requesting advance parole to ensure you understand the full implications of a trip abroad.

What Is Advance Parole?

Advance parole provides you with a travel document that you can use to show you requested advance permission to return to the United States after traveling abroad. DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) recipients, individuals with pending green card status, some refugees and some asylum seekers may need to apply for advance parole.

Advance parole doesn’t guarantee you the ability to enter the United States. Your right to enter is still at the discretion of customs and border protection officials, just as it is for any non-citizen presenting themselves for entry into the United States. It also does not replace a passport, which you must provide when seeking entry.

Cost To Get Advance Parole

You must pay a $630 fee when submitting Form I-131 to apply for advance parole. This is the required amount due as of April 1, 2024.

Time Required To Get Advance Parole

It takes USCIS between six and 18 months to grant advance parole. In some cases, it is possible to get an emergency advance parole request granted more quickly by demonstrating a pressing need for this travel document. You must visit a USCIS office in person and present evidence supporting your emergency request.

What Is Form I-131?

Form I-131 is a form that you submit to USCIS to apply for a valid travel document including:

• Advance parole.
• A  re-entry permit.
• A refugee travel document.

You may need to submit this form if you are a DACA recipient, you have a pending green card application or you are a refuge or asylum seeker and you wish to travel aboard.

The goal is to get advance permission to present yourself as a candidate for re-entry into the United States and, in some cases, to ensure your application to adjust your immigration status is not viewed as abandoned as a result of leaving the country.

Why Do You Need Advance Parole?

Advance parole is accepted instead of a visa or re-entry permit to show authorization to return to the United States.

When you have advance parole, you provide this document to customs officials to show you have been permitted to apply for entry to the U.S. At their discretion, they can then allow you into the country.

If you are waiting for a change to your immigration status—like waiting for a pending green card application to be finalized—you will also need advance parole before leaving the country because otherwise, traveling abroad could be seen as abandoning your application. This could result in your application being closed so you would have to start applying for adjustment of status all over.