The USCIS information on Humanitarian Parole for Afghan Nationals. These individuals who are outside the United States may request parole into the U.S based on urgent humanitarian grounds or significant public benefit reasons for a temporary period, on a case-by-case basis.
A parole can be requested by anyone including themselves by filling out a Form I-131, Application for Travel Document, along with a statement describing the beneficiary's urgent humanitarian need and providing any relevant evidence to support the parole request. The parole form must include a filing fee of $575 or you must request a fee waiver request using Form I-912, Request for Fee Waiver. (Note - submitting this form may reflect negatively upon your economic condition and the ability for self-sufficiency which could lead to USCIS believing that the applicant could become a public charge in the future and deny the application). Each family member must file a separate Form I-131 with the required fees or Form I-912 including supporting documentation. Humanitarian parole beneficiaries must have a valid and unexpired passport at the time of application. If a valid passport is not available, please include a copy of available identification documentation and an explanation of why they do not have an Afghan passport when filling the Form I-131. Any identification documentation should be brought along to the U.S embassy during the consular processing (if outside Afghanistan) or presented to the Government officials if asked to report to the airport in Kabul.
Form I-134, Affidavit of Support, and any supporting documentation with each parole request need to be filed by the Sponsor. USCIS requires evidence of a sponsor who will agree to provide financial support to the parolee while in the United States. There can be multiple sponsors, the beneficiary may self-sponsor and any organization may support the parolee by submitting Form I-134 along with the application. If an employee of an organization cannot complete Form I-134, a letter from the organization committing to support the beneficiary may be included with the parole application.
When mailing the envelope, please make sure you are writing "Afghanistan Humanitarian Parole" on the envelope. If you wish to expedite the process, please write the word EXPEDITE in the top right corner of the application in black ink.
Humanitarian parole applications must be submitted through the mail to the USCIS Dallas Lockbox:
For U.S. Postal Service (USPS) Deliveries:
USCIS
Attn: HP
P.O. Box 660865
Dallas, TX 75266-0865
For FedEx, UPS, and DHL:
USCIS
Attn: HP (Box 660865)
2501 S. State Hwy 121, Business
Suite 400
Lewisville, TX 75067-8003
Please make sure that the beneficiary has provided their best contact information in the parole application and if there are any changes to notify the USCIS of any contact information changes. Contact information includes email address, phone number, and local address if applicable.
Please notify the USCIC immediately in case the beneficiary is able to make independent travel arrangements to a third country where there is a U.S embassy and consular services are available.
When USCIS conditionally approves parole, it will send a conditional approval letter to the petitioner who filed Form I-131 and any representative on record. Parole beneficiaries may experience delays in processing their cases and may need to arrange travel to a U.S embassy outside of Afghanistan to continue processing their request for parole.
The beneficiary must complete Form DS-160, Application for a Nonimmigrant Visa, and include their best local contact phone number as soon as they are notified of their conditional approval. Instructions for completing the DS-160 are included in the conditional approval letter. If the beneficiary is outside of Afghanistan, they may also be asked to report to a U.S. embassy to verify their identity and provide biometrics for additional security screening. If no derogatory information is identified, a travel document will be issued so the beneficiary can travel to the United States.
A Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer will inspect the parole beneficiary's travel documents upon arrival in the United States and issue an electronic Form I-94, Arrival/Departure Record, if parole is authorized. The Form I-94 provides proof of the beneficiary's entry as a parolee and the date by which the beneficiary must depart the United States of America. Parole ends on the date the parole period expires, when the beneficiary departs the United States of America, or when the beneficiary acquires an immigration status, whichever occurs first.
Parole is not a legal immigration status and does not provide a path to legal immigration status. A parolee once in the United States may be able to obtain lawful status in the United States through other means:
Re-parole: The beneficiary may request re-parole (an additional parole period) by filing a new Form I-131, with requisite fees (or fee waiver request using Form I-912, Request for Fee Waiver), a new Form I-134, and updated supporting evidence to demonstrate the need for re-parole at least 90 days before the parole expiration date.
Work Authorization (I-765): The parolee may request employment authorization under category (c)(11) after being paroled into the United States of America by filing Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization.
Green Card: If the parolee is the beneficiary of an approved Form I-130, the parolee may file Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status, to apply to adjust their status and obtain a Green Card once their immigrant visa becomes available.
Asylum: If the parolee believes they have suffered persecution or fears that they will suffer persecution due to their race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion, they may file Form I-589, Application for Asylum and Withholding of Removal.
We will keep monitoring the status and will continue providing updates via the blog page.
***Disclaimer****
This article, under no circumstances, acts as legal advice; therefore, for any more information, please contact us at 972-445-9332 SanSha Law Office, PLLC,
