CHNV Parole Terminated: Options by Nationality and Litigation Status

The CHNV parole termination ended the humanitarian parole program for nationals of Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela on March 25, 2025, cut off parole for people already in the country as of April 24, 2025, and stripped work authorization tied to that parole. If you entered under CHNV, whether you can stay legally now depends on your nationality and whether you qualify for a separate status such as the Cuban Adjustment Act, Temporary Protected Status, or asylum. Roughly 532,000 people entered under the program between late 2022 and January 2025, and all of them are in the same position.¹

What the Termination Actually Did

An executive order on January 20, 2025, directed DHS to review categorical parole programs, and USCIS immediately stopped accepting new Form I-134A filings.² The Federal Register notice published March 25, 2025 formally ended the program. For people already inside the United States under CHNV parole, that notice set April 24, 2025, as the day their parole would expire, and instructed them to leave before that date or face removal.¹

DHS also spelled out how it planned to enforce the termination. Parolees who had been in the country less than two years would be placed into expedited removal. Those with two or more years of continuous presence would go into standard removal proceedings before an immigration judge.¹

A federal district court in Massachusetts briefly stayed the termination in April 2025 in Svitlana Doe v. Noem. That relief was short. On May 30, 2025, the Supreme Court stayed the district court’s order, letting the government proceed with terminations while the case continues on appeal in the First Circuit.³ DHS began mailing individual termination notices on June 12, 2025, and urged parolees to self-deport.⁴

What Happened to Your Work Permit

If you had an Employment Authorization Document under the (c)(11) category tied to CHNV parole, DHS has revoked it and sent you a direct notice.⁵ USCIS has instructed former parolees whose EADs were revoked to return the card.⁶

Employers see this on their end. E-Verify sends a status change report identifying workers whose EADs have been revoked, and the employer must reverify using Form I-9, Supplement B. If you cannot show current work authorization, the employer cannot keep you on the payroll.⁵

If you have separately qualified for another status that carries its own work authorization, such as TPS or asylum, you can file a new Form I-765 under the eligibility category that fits that status. The revocation of the CHNV-based EAD does not stop you from getting work authorization through a different, independent basis.

Your Options Depend on Your Nationality

Termination of parole does not automatically mean you have to leave. It means CHNV itself no longer keeps you here, so any remaining basis to stay has to come from somewhere else. What is realistically available differs sharply by country.

If You Are Cuban

You have the clearest path. Under the Cuban Adjustment Act, a Cuban national who has been physically present in the United States for at least one year can apply for lawful permanent residence, regardless of how they entered.⁷ If you were paroled under CHNV and have accumulated a year in the country, you may be eligible to file Form I-485 to adjust status. The one-year clock counts all time physically present, not just time after your parole was granted.

If You Are Haitian

Your main option outside CHNV has been Temporary Protected Status. Haiti’s TPS designation was scheduled to terminate on February 3, 2026, but a federal judge in the District of Columbia stayed that termination on February 2, 2026. As of early 2026, that stay keeps Haiti’s TPS benefits in place while litigation continues.⁸ The status could shift again depending on the outcome.

If You Are Venezuelan

The picture is difficult. The Supreme Court allowed termination of the 2023 TPS designation to take immediate effect on October 3, 2025. The separate 2021 designation was terminated on November 7, 2025. If you received an EAD on or before February 5, 2025, that document remains valid for work through October 2, 2026, but the underlying TPS protection has ended for most Venezuelans.⁸

If You Are Nicaraguan

Nicaragua’s TPS was terminated on September 8, 2025. A California district court vacated the termination in December 2025, but the Ninth Circuit stayed that ruling in February 2026, finding the government likely to prevail on appeal. Your TPS protection is effectively suspended while the case moves forward.⁸

Asylum Is Separate

Asylum is available to anyone who can show a well-founded fear of persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership in a particular social group. It is independent of parole. The catch is the one-year filing deadline: you generally must file within one year of arriving in the United States. If you entered under CHNV in late 2022 or 2023 and have not yet filed, the deadline may have already passed, and you would need to argue for an exception.

If You Have No Other Basis to Stay

If you do not qualify under the Cuban Adjustment Act, do not have TPS, cannot file for asylum, and have no other form of relief, you are facing removal proceedings. The Federal Register notice was explicit that DHS intends to remove parolees who stay without a lawful basis.¹ Talk to an immigration attorney before enforcement begins. Once proceedings start, the range of options narrows.

Federal Benefits

Benefits access also depends on nationality. Cuban and Haitian parolees qualify as Cuban-Haitian Entrants under the Refugee Education Assistance Act of 1980, a designation that historically opened access to certain federal benefits, including SNAP and Medicaid, on terms similar to refugees. Nicaraguan and Venezuelan parolees have never had that equivalent access.

The 2025 budget reconciliation process included changes to immigrant benefit eligibility, and Cuban-Haitian Entrant status may still provide a limited exception to broader restrictions on SNAP access for noncitizens. Because benefits agencies verify status through the SAVE database, and SAVE now reflects the parole terminations, check with your local benefits office about whether your eligibility has changed.⁶

Where the Litigation Goes From Here

The First Circuit appeal in Svitlana Doe is still active, and a ruling there could change the legal status of former parolees. For now, the Supreme Court’s May 2025 stay lets DHS carry on with terminations and enforcement.³ The TPS cases for Haiti, Venezuela, and Nicaragua are moving through separate courts at different speeds, and each ruling reshapes what is available to that country’s nationals.

The practical takeaway is straightforward. If you were paroled under CHNV, your legal status now depends on an independent basis to remain. Cubans with a year of presence have a route to a green card. Haitians may still have TPS depending on how the litigation ends. Venezuelans and Nicaraguans are in the hardest position, with TPS largely stripped away and few categorical alternatives. In every case, getting competent legal advice before a deadline passes or an enforcement action begins is the difference between having options and having none.

1
Federal Register. Termination of Parole Processes for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans
2
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Update on Form I-134A
3
Supreme Court of the United States. Noem v. Svitlana Doe – Order
4
U.S. Department of Homeland Security. DHS Issues Notices of Termination for the CHNV Parole Program, Encourages Parolees to Self-Deport Immediately
5
E-Verify. New Status Change Report for E-Verify Users Following Parole Termination
6
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. FAQs on the Effect of Changes to Parole and Temporary Protected Status for SAVE Agencies
7
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Green Card for a Cuban Native or Citizen
8
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Temporary Protected Status