Emergency Advance Parole Document

Certain applicants may be able to obtain an emergency Advance Parole Document. USCIS takes approximately three months to process your Form I-131, Application for Travel Document. If you are experiencing an extremely urgent situation, you may visit your local USCIS office to request an Advance Parole Document on an emergency basis.

Criteria for Emergency Advance Parole

USCIS publishes guidelines for expediting the processing of travel documents. You may be able to obtain an emergency Advance Parole Document if one or more the criteria below have been met:

Severe financial loss to company or person;
Emergency situations;
Humanitarian reasons;
Nonprofit organization whose request is in furtherance of the cultural and social interests of the United States;
Department of Defense or National Interest Situation (Note: The request must come from an official U.S. Government entity and state that delay will be detrimental to the Government.);
USCIS error; or
Compelling interest of USCIS.

How to Request Emergency Advance Parole

If you are experiencing an extremely urgent situation, you may visit your local USCIS office to request an emergency Advance Parole Document. Follow these steps to ensure that your request for emergency Advance Parole gets the correct attention:

STEP
1

Prepare your application for Advance Parole

Complete Form I-131, Application for Travel Document, indicating your request for an Advance Parole Document. It’s extremely important that the application is accurate and prepared correctly. Mistakes and omissions will significantly delay the process. CitizenPath can help you prepare form I-131 quickly and accurately.

STEP
2

Make an appointment at your local USCIS office

Use Infopass to schedule your appointment at a local USCIS office. This will ensure you get a reserved time and are visiting the correct location.

STEP
3

Attend appointment to request emergency advance parole

When visiting a local office to request emergency Advance Parole, you should take the following items:

A completed and signed Form I-131, Application for Travel Document
The correct I-131 filing fee
Evidence to support the emergency request (e.g. medical documentation, death certificate)
Two passport-style photos

It’s necessary to have documentation to prove that there is a true emergency. Generally, this means matters of life and death. It can also cover business-related travel emergencies. USCIS is very unlikely to approve an expedited or emergency Advance Parole for self-created emergencies and events, such as weddings, where the need to travel could have been anticipated.

Most true emergency-travel needs involve a dire medical situation or a death in the family. USCIS may also consider business emergencies and other emergencies (based on the guidelines above). You should provide USCIS with detailed documentation evidencing the existence and extent of the emergency at the time your request the emergency Advance Parole.

Travel Before Advance Parole Is Issued

You must obtain your Advance Parole Document before leaving the United States. Travel outside of the United States may have severe consequences if you are in the process of adjusting status to permanent resident (applying for a green card). In general, if you are seeking immigrant status (green card) and depart the United States without Advance Parole, you may be inadmissible to the United States upon return, or even if admitted, you may be found to have abandoned your I-485 application.

Source: USCIS