If your I-94 shows a DT class of admission, you were paroled into the United States at a port of entry or by a USCIS district office under a humanitarian parole authority. Parole lets you be physically present in the country for a set period, but it is not a formal admission and it is not a lasting immigration status. You can apply for work authorization and a Social Security number, but your stay has an expiration date, and parole policies have shifted substantially since early 2025.
What DT Means on Your I-94
CBP officers stamp the I-94 Arrival/Departure Record with a class of admission code that identifies the legal basis for your entry.1U.S. Customs and Border Protection. I-94 Automation Fact Sheet The plain code “DT” identifies you as someone paroled at a port of entry or by a USCIS district office. It has appeared on I-94s issued through several humanitarian parole programs, including Uniting for Ukraine and the now-terminated processes for Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela (CHNV).2U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Ukrainian Parolees and Their Immediate Family Members
One boundary to clear up before going further: the parole code “DT” is not the same as the immigrant codes DT1 through DT8, which apply to displaced Tibetans and their family members admitted with immigrant visas.3OHSS. Immigrant Classes of Admission If your I-94 shows “DT” with no number, you are a parolee, and everything below applies to you.
Parole Is Not an Admission
Federal law authorizes the Secretary of Homeland Security to parole someone into the United States temporarily, on a case-by-case basis, for urgent humanitarian reasons or significant public benefit.4Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 8 USC 1182 – Inadmissible Aliens The same statute says parole “shall not be regarded as an admission.” Legally, you remain an applicant for admission for as long as you are paroled.5State Department. Appendix 2 – Humanitarian Parole Information
Parole is temporary, discretionary, and revocable. It does not, on its own, put you on a track to permanent residency. What it does do is satisfy the “inspected and admitted or paroled” threshold that opens up adjustment of status inside the country later, which matters for the pathways discussed below.
Working Legally as a DT Parolee
Being paroled does not automatically authorize you to work. In most cases you need to apply for an Employment Authorization Document by filing Form I-765 with USCIS under eligibility category (c)(11), attaching a copy of your unexpired I-94 showing humanitarian parole.6USCIS. Form I-765 Instructions for Application for Employment Authorization You cannot legally accept employment until USCIS approves the application.
As of January 1, 2026, the filing fee for an initial parole-based EAD is $560, and a renewal or extension is $280.7U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Announces FY 2026 Inflation Increase for Certain Immigration-Related Fees Form I-765 is eligible for a conditional fee waiver through Form I-912 if you can show inability to pay.8USCIS. USCIS Policy Manual Volume 1 Part B Chapter 4 – Fee Waivers and Fee Exemptions
The Ukrainian Exception
Ukrainian nationals whose I-94 shows a DT class of admission issued between February 24, 2022, and September 30, 2024, and lists Ukraine as the country of citizenship were considered employment authorized incident to parole. They could present the unexpired I-94 as temporary proof of identity and work authorization for Form I-9, though they still had to obtain an EAD or other qualifying documents within 90 days of hire.2U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Ukrainian Parolees and Their Immediate Family Members
Traveling Outside the United States
Leaving the country while on DT parole is dangerous. Federal regulations state that parole automatically terminates on departure.9eCFR. 8 CFR 212.5 – Parole of Aliens Into the United States To come back, you would need a new grant of parole or another valid visa.
If you have a pending adjustment of status application and need to travel, get advance parole first. Advance parole is a separate travel document, obtained by filing Form I-131 before your trip, that lets you return without abandoning pending applications.10U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Advance Parole Do not depart while an adjustment application is pending unless USCIS has approved the advance parole document. Leaving without it terminates both your parole and the pending case.
When Your Parole Ends
Your I-94 lists the date your parole period ends. When that date passes, parole terminates automatically, and you begin accruing unlawful presence unless you have a pending asylum, adjustment of status, or TPS application that keeps your stay authorized.11DHS Office of Inspector General. DHS Needs to Improve Oversight of Parole Expiration Unlawful presence carries serious consequences, including potential bars on future immigration benefits once it accumulates beyond 180 days.
DHS can also terminate your parole early, before the I-94 expiration date, whenever it determines the humanitarian reasons or public benefit that justified your presence no longer exist. Termination on notice takes effect when DHS delivers written notice, and a charging document placing you in removal proceedings counts as that notice.9eCFR. 8 CFR 212.5 – Parole of Aliens Into the United States Violating parole conditions can lead to detention, removal proceedings, and loss of eligibility for immigration benefits you would otherwise qualify for.5State Department. Appendix 2 – Humanitarian Parole Information
What Happened to CHNV Parolees
In March 2025, DHS formally terminated the categorical parole programs for Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela. Existing CHNV parolees whose parole had not already expired saw it terminated on April 24, 2025, unless DHS made a separate individual determination.12Federal Register. Termination of Parole Processes for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans Employment authorization tied to that parole ended with it. DHS said it would generally seek to remove those who did not depart voluntarily and lacked another lawful basis to stay. If you were paroled under CHNV, get to an immigration attorney quickly.
Pathways to Longer-Term Status
Parole does not lead to permanent residency by itself, but it satisfies the “inspected and admitted or paroled” requirement that federal law imposes on anyone adjusting status inside the country. That opens several doors.
Family-Based Adjustment
If you have an immediate relative who is a U.S. citizen (spouse, parent, or adult child), that relative can file Form I-130 on your behalf, and you can file Form I-485 with it or afterward. Because you were paroled, you meet the threshold to file the I-485 from within the country rather than going through consular processing abroad.13U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Humanitarian or Significant Public Benefit Parole for Aliens Outside the United States
One caveat matters if you are looking at an employment-based green card instead of a family-based one: parole satisfies the paroled-or-admitted requirement but does not satisfy the separate “continuous maintenance of lawful nonimmigrant status” requirement that applies to some employment-based categories. Bridging that gap often takes an intervening grant of TPS or asylum, and the details are worth discussing with an attorney.
Asylum
If you fear persecution in your home country based on race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership in a particular social group, you can apply for asylum by filing Form I-589.14U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Asylum Watch the deadline. You must file within one year of arriving in the United States unless you can show changed circumstances in your home country or extraordinary circumstances that caused the delay.15Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 8 USC 1158 – Asylum Missing that window forfeits affirmative asylum in most situations. A pending asylum application also stops the clock on unlawful presence while it is being adjudicated, so filing on time protects you two ways.
Temporary Protected Status
If your home country is designated for TPS, you may qualify regardless of how you entered, provided you meet the continuous residence and physical presence requirements for that country’s designation. TPS gives protection from removal and its own work authorization.16U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Temporary Protected Status Countries with current designations include Ukraine, Venezuela, Haiti, and El Salvador, among others. TPS is not itself a path to a green card, but it maintains authorized stay while you pursue other options.
Re-Parole
Some DT parolees can apply for a new period of parole before the current one expires. Re-parole is not guaranteed. It requires showing that urgent humanitarian reasons or significant public benefit still apply, that you complied with your initial parole conditions, and that you clear background checks.17U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Re-Parole Process for Certain Ukrainian Citizens and Their Immediate Family Members
You apply on Form I-131. USCIS says not to file earlier than 180 days before your current parole expires. The 2026 filing fee for an EAD requested with re-parole is $280,7U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Announces FY 2026 Inflation Increase for Certain Immigration-Related Fees and Form I-131 for humanitarian parole is eligible for a conditional fee waiver through Form I-912.8USCIS. USCIS Policy Manual Volume 1 Part B Chapter 4 – Fee Waivers and Fee Exemptions Availability depends on your program. As of mid-2025, USCIS resumed processing re-parole requests for Ukrainian parolees under Uniting for Ukraine. No re-parole process exists for people paroled under the terminated CHNV programs.11DHS Office of Inspector General. DHS Needs to Improve Oversight of Parole Expiration
Social Security, ID, and Address Changes
DT parolees are eligible for a Social Security number. With work authorization (an approved EAD or incident-to-parole authorization), you can get a work-eligible SSN. Without work authorization, you may still qualify for a non-work SSN, used for tax purposes and certain benefit applications.18Social Security Administration. POMS RM 10211.195 – Evidence of Parolee Status When an Alien Submits Form I-94 or Unexpired Foreign Passport Bring your I-94, passport, and EAD (if you have one) to a local Social Security office.
Driver’s licenses are handled state by state. Under the REAL ID Act, parole is generally not one of the lawful status categories that qualifies for a REAL ID-compliant license, though specific exceptions exist for certain Afghan parolees eligible for temporary REAL ID cards.19Transportation Security Administration. REAL ID Frequently Asked Questions Many states issue standard (non-REAL ID) licenses or ID cards to parolees with valid I-94s. Check with your state’s motor vehicle agency.
One more requirement is easy to miss and expensive to ignore. Federal law requires all noncitizens in the United States, parolees included, to report a change of address to USCIS within 10 days of moving.20USCIS. USCIS Policy Manual Volume 1 Part A Chapter 10 – Changes of Address Update your address online through USCIS or by filing Form AR-11. If USCIS cannot reach you, you can miss notices about your parole, your EAD renewal, or a pending application, and the consequences of a missed notice can be severe.