The advance parole fee has two parts most applicants need to plan for. Filing Form I-131 for an advance parole document costs $630 on paper or $580 through a USCIS online account.1eCFR. 8 CFR 106.2 – Fees2U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Form G-1055 – Fee Schedule On top of that, since October 16, 2025, most people paroled back into the country owe a separate $1,000 immigration parole fee collected at the port of entry.3Federal Register. Immigration Parole Fee Required by HR-1 Reconciliation Bill A narrow group of adjustment of status applicants pays $0 to file, but the port-of-entry fee can still hit them.
Form I-131 Filing Fee
The base filing fee is $630 for paper submissions. If your category is eligible to file online through a USCIS account, the fee is $580.2U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Form G-1055 – Fee Schedule Age makes no difference; children and older adults pay the same.
Categories eligible for the $580 online rate include applicants with a pending Form I-485, a pending initial TPS application, Deferred Enforced Departure, and approved DACA.2U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Form G-1055 – Fee Schedule Asylum applicants with a pending Form I-589 must file on paper at $630. Don’t try to file online under a category that doesn’t apply to save $50. USCIS says it will deny the application and keep the fee.4U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Forms Available to File Online
There is no separate biometrics fee. USCIS folded biometrics costs into the main filing fee when it changed its fee schedule in April 2024.5U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Frequently Asked Questions on the USCIS Fee Rule
One thing to know about refunds before you file: USCIS does not refund the filing fee if your application is denied on the merits. If USCIS rejects your package for a technical problem, like a missing signature or the wrong fee amount, you get your payment back. A denial after review means the money is gone, and refiling means paying again.
The $1,000 Immigration Parole Fee at the Port of Entry
This is the charge that surprises applicants. Starting October 16, 2025, a $1,000 immigration parole fee applies each time you are paroled into the United States.3Federal Register. Immigration Parole Fee Required by HR-1 Reconciliation Bill You don’t pay it with your I-131; Customs and Border Protection collects it at the port of entry when you return.
DHS reads the fee broadly. The Federal Register notice says it covers “any alien who is paroled into the United States,” including advance parole, parole in place, re-parole, and initial parole from abroad.3Federal Register. Immigration Parole Fee Required by HR-1 Reconciliation Bill It applies each entry. Travel abroad twice on advance parole and you could owe $1,000 both times you come back.
The fee also applies to people whose I-131 filing fee was $0 under the adjustment exemption below. The USCIS fee schedule spells this out: the $0 exemption comes “plus Immigration Parole Fee for certain approvals.”2U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Form G-1055 – Fee Schedule Limited exceptions exist under the statute, and DHS has discretion in applying them. Budget for the $1,000 before you plan a trip.
$0 Filing Fee for Certain Adjustment of Status Applicants
If you filed Form I-485 on or after July 30, 2007 and before April 1, 2024, the I-131 filing fee is $0.1eCFR. 8 CFR 106.2 – Fees The adjustment fee you already paid covers advance parole and employment authorization for as long as your I-485 is pending, including renewals. You can request a new advance parole document without paying $630 again.
The requirement is that the I-485 must still be pending. Once USCIS approves or denies it, the exemption ends. Many applicants in this window receive a combo card combining employment authorization and advance parole on one document when they file Forms I-765 and I-131 together.
If you filed your I-485 on or after April 1, 2024, this bundled pricing is gone. You pay $630 on paper or $580 online for each I-131, same as everyone else.2U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Form G-1055 – Fee Schedule Either way, the $1,000 port-of-entry fee still applies when you return.
Can You Get a Fee Waiver
For most advance parole applicants, no. USCIS limits Form I-912 fee waivers on Form I-131 to people applying for humanitarian parole, which is a separate category from the advance parole tied to a pending I-485, DACA, TPS, or other protected status.6U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Policy Manual Volume 1 Part B Chapter 4 – Fee Waivers and Fee Exemptions
If you’re applying for humanitarian parole specifically, you can request a fee waiver with Form I-912 by showing financial hardship. Qualifying evidence includes receiving a means-tested benefit like Medicaid or having household income at or below 150% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines. For 2026, the 150% threshold for a four-person household in the continental United States is $48,225.7LIHEAP Clearinghouse. Federal Poverty Guidelines for FFY
Standard advance parole applicants have one form of price relief: the $0 exemption for I-485 filings in the July 2007 to March 2024 window. Everyone else pays the full filing fee.
Does Expedited Processing Cost Extra
No. Requesting expedited processing of your I-131 costs nothing extra. USCIS considers expedited review only for a genuine emergency or urgent humanitarian need, not for a preference to receive the document faster.8U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Expedite Requests
Situations that can qualify include:
- Death or serious illness of a family member, supported by a death certificate, hospital letter, or obituary along with proof of your relationship.
- Medical treatment abroad, documented by a letter from a doctor or hospital explaining why the treatment is critical.
- Professional or academic commitments, supported by a letter on company letterhead or an academic invitation explaining the urgency.
- Unplanned personal events like a funeral, with documentation of the event and your connection to it.
A planned vacation does not qualify. USCIS also weighs whether you filed the I-131 promptly. If you sat on the application for months and are now scrambling because of normal processing times, that works against you.8U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Expedite Requests
For true emergencies where you can’t wait for mail processing, you can request emergency advance parole at a USCIS field office. Call the USCIS Contact Center to schedule an appointment. Payment at a field office is limited to a single credit or debit card transaction, a single ACH payment, or, if you qualify for a paper payment exemption, a personal or business check.9U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Filing Fees
How to Pay
For paper filings, USCIS accepts personal checks, business checks, cashier’s checks, and money orders. Every paper payment must be drawn on a U.S. financial institution, payable in U.S. dollars, and made out to “U.S. Department of Homeland Security” spelled out in full on the pay-to line. Writing “DHS” or “USDHS” will get your application rejected.9U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Filing Fees
To pay by credit, debit, or prepaid card when filing by mail, include Form G-1450 (Authorization for Credit Card Transactions) with your package. USCIS also accepts direct bank payments through Form G-1650 (Authorization for ACH Transactions).10U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. G-1055, Fee Schedule If you file online through your USCIS account, you pay electronically during submission.
DACA Recipients
DACA recipients with an approved deferred action apply for advance parole on the same Form I-131 at $630 on paper or $580 online.2U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Form G-1055 – Fee Schedule DACA-based advance parole does not qualify for the $0 exemption, and fee waivers are not available for this category. The $1,000 port-of-entry fee applies as well, which brings the cost of a single round trip to $1,580 or more.
The Cost of Traveling Without Advance Parole
Fees aside, one decision carries a larger price than any of them. Leaving the United States without an approved advance parole document while you have a pending I-485 is treated as abandoning the green card application.11U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. While Your Green Card Application Is Pending with USCIS – Section: If You Need to Travel There is no grace period and no way to undo it afterward. The same rule applies to pending asylum applications; departing without advance parole abandons the Form I-589.
Filing Form I-131 and then leaving before it is approved is a common and costly mistake. A pending application provides no travel authorization. You need the approved document in hand before you board a plane, and if your current advance parole document expires while you’re abroad, USCIS cannot renew or reissue it from outside the country.