When trying to obtain lawful permanent resident or nonimmigrant status in the United States, you may have been made well aware that a condition of your temporary stay was that you could not travel outside the country for a specified period. While you may have been equipped to see this through, life circumstances beyond your reasonable control may create a necessity to travel abroad. Before you make any abrupt or rash travel plans, you should look into an advance parole. Without further ado, please continue reading to learn about advance parole and how an experienced family immigration lawyer in Milwaukee, WI, at Sesini Law Group, S.C. can help you acquire this permission.
In the context of immigration law, what is advance parole?
Per the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), advance parole is a travel document that may allow you, an individual with a non-citizen status with a pending application, to travel abroad and return to the U.S. without needing to apply for a new visa. In other words, an airline or a transportation company may accept your advance parole document as eligible proof that you are authorized to reenter the country. Importantly, though, this document cannot and will not replace your need to produce your passport. In short, it simply helps you maintain your nonimmigrant status in the U.S. after having to travel temporarily.
However, it is worth mentioning that obtaining advance parole, via Form I-131, Application for Travel Document, does not completely guarantee your re-entry into the country. That is, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer may use their discretion to determine whether you can return. This is especially dependent on whether you are deemed inadmissible, found to have an expired immigration status, found to have abandoned your pending immigrant application, or found to have a removal order, criminal history, national security or public safety concerns, etc.
Under what circumstances might I need advance parole?
With all that has been said so far, you should apply for advance parole at your own risk. Although, we understand that, sometimes, extenuating circumstances may leave you with no choice but to travel abroad to your home country or elsewhere. Below are legitimate reasons for petitioning for advance parole:
- You must visit or care for a sick relative in your home country.
- You wish to attend a funeral service for your loved one in your home country.
- You require a medical treatment that is inaccessible to you in the United States.
- You received an overseas assignment from your current United States-based employer.
- You got accepted into a study abroad program hosted by your United States-based academic institution.
If you require further clarification on this issue, a skilled family immigration lawyer in Milwaukee, WI, at Sesini Law Group, S.C., is willing to offer it. So please do not hesitate to seek out our services. We look forward to helping you.