Recently, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced it will terminate two categorical parole programs to help ensure parole is only used on a case-by-case basis, consistent with the law. The programs to be terminated are the Filipino World War II Veterans Parole program and the Haitian Family Reunification Parole program.
Parole programs are designed to allow foreign nationals to temporarily enter or remain in the United States, including those who are otherwise inadmissible. Under both of the categorical parole programs mentioned above, individuals with approved family-based immigrant petitions were authorized to enter and work in the United States while awaiting the verdict on their green card. Terminating these programs ends the expedited processing once available in a categorical fashion.
Of the decision to terminate these programs, USCIS Acting Director Ken Cuccinelli said, “Under these categorical parole programs, individuals have been able to skip the line and bypass the proper channels established by Congress. With the termination of these programs, these individuals will no longer be permitted to wait in the United States for their family-based green card to become available, consistent with the rules that apply to the rest of the world. Parole is to be used on a case-by-case basis for urgent humanitarian reasons or significant public benefit. USCIS is committed to exercising this limited authority in a manner that preserves the integrity of our immigration system and does not encourage aliens to unlawfully enter the United States.”
Current parolees can maintain their current period of parole until its expiration unless otherwise terminated, and USCIS will process all pending cases to completion. Parolees who have not adjusted their status may request parole under the non-categorical process by filing Form I-131. If this applies to you, please do not hesitate to contact one of our experienced immigration attorneys today. We understand the significance of these documents and can help ensure you complete everything by the book to maximize your chances of a successful turnout.
For additional information regarding applying for non-categorical parole, feel free to visit the Humanitarian or Significant Public Benefit Parole for Individuals Outside the United States page.
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John Sesini is an experienced immigration attorney with offices in Green Bay and Milwaukee Wisconsin. If you have any questions regarding immigration law matters, please contact the Sesini Law Group, S.C. and schedule your initial consultation with our firm today.