Advance Parole: What It Is and Why You Must Get It Before Traveling

If you have a pending adjustment of status application (Form I-485), you cannot simply book a flight, leave the US, and come back. Doing so without the right travel document can result in USCIS treating your green card application as abandoned — even if the trip was only a few days.

The document you need is called Advance Parole. Here's what it is and how to get it.

What Advance Parole Actually Is

Advance Parole is a travel document issued by USCIS using Form I-131. It authorizes you to travel outside the United States and return. Critically, it is not a visa. You cannot use it to apply for admission at a consulate or to enter a country other than the US. What it does is give you permission to present yourself at a US port of entry and be admitted after a trip abroad.

CBP (Customs and Border Protection) still has the authority to deny entry at the border — Advance Parole is an authorization to seek admission, not a guarantee of admission.

Who Needs It

Advance Parole is most commonly needed by:

• Anyone with a pending Form I-485 (adjustment of status application) who needs to travel internationally
• DACA recipients who want to travel abroad (called "DACA Advance Parole" or humanitarian parole)
• TPS (Temporary Protected Status) holders in some circumstances
• Certain other categories of individuals who are in the US in a parole status

Refugees and asylees who need to travel generally use a different document — a Refugee Travel Document, also filed on Form I-131 but a different category.

The Risk If You Travel Without It

This is the part most people don't fully appreciate until it's too late.

If your I-485 is pending and you leave the US without an approved Advance Parole document, USCIS will consider your application abandoned when you depart. This applies regardless of:

• How short the trip is — even a weekend counts
• Whether you have a valid visa in your passport
• What country you're visiting
• The reason for your travel

How to Apply (Form I-131)

You apply for Advance Parole by filing Form I-131 with USCIS. The most common approach is to file it at the same time as your I-485 — USCIS accepts them together in the same package, and in recent years USCIS has not charged a separate filing fee for I-131 when filed concurrently with I-485.

You can also file I-131 separately after your I-485 is already pending. In that case, file it well before you plan to travel — current processing times are several months.

Biometrics are usually required as part of the application. USCIS will send you a separate appointment notice.

What You Get

When approved, USCIS issues an I-512L (Authorization for Parole of an Alien into the United States). This is your Advance Parole document. It looks similar to other travel documents — a card or letter with your photo and validity dates.

Advance Parole is typically valid for 2 years and can be renewed by filing another I-131. When you return to the US, present the document at the port of entry along with your passport.

Common Mistakes

• Traveling while AP is pending. The approval must be in your hands before you depart. "Filed" is not approved.
• Letting AP expire while abroad. If your Advance Parole expires before you return, you may not be able to re-enter to continue your I-485 process.
• Not bringing the document when returning. You need the physical document (or a digital copy accepted by CBP) at the port of entry.
• Travel to countries with entry bars. If you have unlawful presence history or other immigration issues, traveling to certain countries can trigger separate bars on re-entry. AP alone doesn't resolve those issues.

Emergency Travel

If you have a genuine emergency — such as a serious illness or death of a family member — and have not yet received your Advance Parole, USCIS has an emergency advance parole process. You can call the USCIS Contact Center at 1-800-375-5283 and explain the emergency. USCIS may be able to expedite the request. Bring documentation of the emergency.

Be aware that emergency parole is evaluated case by case and is not guaranteed. Plan ahead whenever possible and file your I-131 early.