USCIS uses its discretion to authorize parole. Parole allows an individual, who may be inadmissible or otherwise ineligible for admission into the United States, to be paroled into the United States for a temporary period. The Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) allows the secretary of homeland security to use their discretion to parole any noncitizen applying for admission into the United States temporarily for urgent humanitarian reasons or significant public benefit. (See INA section 212(d)(5).)

An individual who is paroled into the United States has not been formally admitted into the United States for purposes of immigration law.

Parole is not intended to be used solely to avoid normal visa processing procedures and timelines, to bypass inadmissibility waiver processing, or to replace established refugee processing channels.

USCIS Parole Operations processes a variety of Form I-131 parole requests for individuals outside of the United States, including expedited processing for cases involving extremely urgent circumstances, settlement-related processing, and policy-related processing priorities. USCIS Parole Operations, therefore, does not categorically adjudicate these requests on a first-in, first out basis. Consequently, we are not able to post a standard processing time for this type of application.

Length of Parole

If authorized, we will specify the duration of parole for a temporary period of time to accomplish the purpose of the parole. For example, if parole is requested to attend a civil court proceeding between private parties, we may authorize parole for the period of time necessary to attend the proceedings. We typically grant parole for no more than 1 year, although we may grant parole for a longer duration depending on the reason for the parole.

Parole ends on the date the parole period expires or when a parolee departs the United States or acquires an immigration status, whichever occurs first. In some cases, we may place conditions on parole, such as reporting requirements. We may revoke parole at any time and without notice if we determine that parole is no longer warranted or a parolee fails to comply with any conditions of parole.

Humanitarian or Significant Public Benefit Parole Requests

All humanitarian or significant public benefit parole requests must include documents including evidence of identity for the petitioner, the beneficiary, and the individual agreeing to financially support the beneficiary, as noted in the chart below.

Required Documentation:	Type of Documents to Submit
Beneficiary	A clear and legible copy of a valid government-issued identification document that shows the beneficiary’s country of citizenship or country of habitual residence (if available).
Petitioner	A clear and legible copy of a valid government-issued photo identification document that shows name and date of birth. For example:A current Employment Authorization Document;A valid government-issued driver’s license;Passport identity page;Form I-551, Permanent Resident Card, orAny other official identity document.Evidence of citizenship or U.S. immigration status (such as a copy of a U.S. passport, lawful permanent resident card, or U.S. birth certificate), if any, if applicable. See Form I-131 instructions (PDF, 285.07 KB).
Individual agreeing to financially support the beneficiary	A clear and legible copy of a valid government-issued photo identification document that shows name and date of birth. For example:A current Employment Authorization Document;A valid government-issued driver’s license;Passport identity page;Form I-551, Permanent Resident Card, orAny other official identity document.Evidence of citizenship or U.S. immigration status (such as a copy of a U.S. passport, lawful permanent resident card, or U.S. birth certificate), if any, if applicable. See Form I-134 instructions (PDF, 952.43 KB).Evidence of how the individual agreeing to support the beneficiary will financially support the beneficiary in the United States, including any evidence of employment, tax records, bank statements, or other evidence. See Form I-134 instructions (PDF, 952.43 KB) and the “The Need for a Sponsor” section on the humanitarian or significant public benefit parole webpage for more information.