Applying For Advance Parole Travel Document
STEP 1: File The Application For Advance Parole Concurrently With The Application For Adjustment of Status (Form I-485) or While It Is Pending
Foreign nationals may choose to file for Advance Parole (Form I-131, Application for Travel Document) concurrently with the Adjustment of Status Application (Form I-485) (adjustment of status) or choose to file it separately at a later time or when he or she decides to travel. Who did not file Form I-131, concurrently with I-485 (adjustment of status) may file it separately
To apply for Advance Parole Travel Document, the applicant must be physically present in the U.S.
The applicant must send his or her application to the USCIS Lockbox or Service Center depending on the basis of the Advance Parole application or where the adjustment of status application is pending. In certain emergent circumstances, Form I-131 may be filed directly with a local USCIS Field Office.
NOTE: The Advance Parole application cannot be filed from outside the U.S. The applicant should file and obtain an approved Advance Parole travel document before he or she travels outside the U.S.
NOTE: If the Advance Parole application is filed concurrently with the Form I-485 and Form I-765 (Application for Employment Authorization), USCIS now issues the Advance Parole and Employment Authorization in one document.
STEP 2: Supporting Documents And Forms To Be Submitted For Advance Parole
The Advance Parole application must include:
1.USCIS Form I-131, Application for Travel Document
2. Filing Fee (If filing concurrently with the Adjustment of Status or later for the for the first time, a fee is not required; if filing a second or subsequent Advance Parole, a filing fee is required).
3. Two identical color photographs as per the following specifications:
i. Taken within 30 days of filing the application
ii. Showing three-quarter frontal profile showing the right side of applicant’s face, with the right ear visible and with the head bare (unless the applicant is wearing a headdress as required by a religious order of which he or she is a member)
iii. Has a white background and be no larger than 2 X 2 inches, with the distance from the top of the head to just below the chin about 1 and 1/4 inches
iv. Glossy, un-mounted, un-retouched and printed on thin paper
NOTE: Lightly print your A# (or your name if you have no A#) on the back of each photo, using a pencil.
4. Copy of applicant’s current passport
5. Copy of applicant’s Form I-94, Arrival-Departure Document
6. If not filing concurrently, a copy of applicant’s Form I-485 receipt notice or other evidence that his or her application for Green Card is pending with USCIS
7. Copies of documents which indicate applicant’s current status
A. Validity of Advance Parole
Advance Parole granted to adjustment of status applicants are generally granted for a period of one year. The approved Advance Parole is called Form I-512.
NOTE: Advance Parole travel document is usually valid for multiple entries.
B. Processing Time
The Advance Parole processing time is generally two to three months.
I-131 Travel Document For Dependents of Alien Relative
Minor unmarried children who have pending application for adjustment of status need to obtain a separate Advance Parole if they are traveling outside the U.S.
NOTE: Dependents cannot be included on their parents’ Form I-131.
Advanced Parole Possible Problems
The following are some of the situations that could lead to possible problems for applicants applying for or applicants who have applied for Advance Parole:
A. Applying For Advance Parole From Outside The U.S.
It is vitally important that the applicant apply for Advance Parole before he or she plans to travel outside the U.S. An applicant cannot file Form I-131 for Advance Parole from outside the U.S. The Advance Parole literally is a document giving he adjustment of status applicant advance permission to leave and re-enter the U.S.
B. What If The Advance Parole Expires While The Applicant Is Outside The U.S.?
If the applicant cannot return to the U.S. before his or her Advance Parole expires while outside the U.S., then he or she may not be allowed to enter the U.S.
C. Travel Outside The U.S. Before The Advance Parole Is Issued
The Adjustment of Status application is considered abandoned if the applicant leaves before obtaining Advanced Parole.
D. Advance Parole Does Not Guarantee Admission Into The U.S.
It is important to understand that the Advance Parole document (Form I-512) does not guarantee admission into the U.S. Foreign nationals with Advance Parole are still subject to the immigration inspection process at the U.S. ports of entry. The foreign nationals must carry along with them evidence showing their pending Adjustment of Status application, purpose of visit outside the U.S. etc.
E. Advanced Parole Does Not Mean That An Applicant Should Travel
It is important to understand the grant of Advance Parole by USCIS does not mean that an individual should travel outside the U.S. or that USCIS endorses an applicant’s desire to travel. Some adjustment of status applicants who have not maintained valid status or have accrued unlawful presence may trigger serious consequences upon leaving the U.S. despite having a valid Advance Parole document.
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