Humanitarian Parole

Do You Need to Enter the U.S. Due to an Emergency?

There are many scenarios in which foreign nationals need to enter the United States for emergency humanitarian reasons, such as when they are in serious need of medical care in the U.S.  When this happens, the U.S. government may grant humanitarian parole. This allows individuals who would normally be inadmissible to enter the country for a temporary period of time, according to information from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). In addition to humanitarian purposes, entry might also be granted for the purpose of significantly benefiting public interests.

Guidelines for Those Under Humanitarian Parole

Those who are granted entry under humanitarian parole must leave as soon as their parole periods end. Humanitarian parole is used sparingly, and it does not extend immigration benefits to those who are granted this form of relief. People can, however, take steps to obtain permanent status in the U.S., such as when they are granted asylum are able to obtain green cards through family-based immigration.

Who Is Eligible for Humanitarian Parole?

A person is usually only granted humanitarian parole when it is clear that he or she either would not qualify for a U.S. visa, or when it is clear that the visa processing time would take too long for the person to get to the U.S. in time for his or her legitimate emergency. The USCIS specifically tries to weed out any applicants who appear to be using the humanitarian parole system solely to bypass the normal visa issuing process, so it is important that you are able to clearly demonstrate the urgency of your situation in your petition. Each case is decided on a case-by-case basis.

Who Can Apply for Humanitarian Parole?

There are a couple of ways to petition for humanitarian parole. Someone within the U.S. can file a petition on behalf of a person who is outside of the country, or the person outside the country can petition for himself or herself.  Certain factors such as a life-threatening medical emergency or the fact that a petition is for a disabled person or child under the age of 16--can potentially expedite the processing of the humanitarian parole request. At The Law Offices of Michelle Neal, we can help you fill out your application and include the right supplemental documents.  Call us today at (312) 566-9574 and schedule an appointment.