The family reunification parole program is closed to new applicants and has been since January 20, 2025, but a federal court order is keeping existing parole grants in place while the litigation plays out. If your relative already entered the United States under this program, their status is protected for now. If you were hoping to start a new case, you cannot: USCIS is not accepting Form I-134A, and the online tools used to process beneficiaries abroad are no longer available for this purpose.
Where the Program Stands Right Now
An executive order titled “Securing Our Borders,” signed on January 20, 2025, directed the Secretary of Homeland Security to end categorical parole programs and stop using the CBP One mobile application to parole people into the country.1The White House. Securing Our Borders USCIS paused acceptance of Form I-134A, the financial support form that begins the process, and no new cases have moved forward since.2U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Update on Form I-134A
On December 15, 2025, DHS published a Federal Register notice that would have terminated all previously granted parole and employment authorization under the program, with an effective date of January 14, 2026.3Federal Register. Termination of Family Reunification Parole Processes for Colombians, Cubans, Ecuadorians, Guatemalans, Haitians, Hondurans, and Salvadorans On January 24, 2026, the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts issued a preliminary injunction in Svitlana Doe v. Noem that stayed the parts of that notice ending individual parole grants before their original expiration dates.4U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Family Reunification Parole Processes The government’s motion to reconsider or stay the injunction was denied, and as of March 2026 the injunction remains in effect.
What this means in practice: if you already hold parole under this program, you can disregard the termination notice for now, but the litigation is ongoing and could shift. If you have not yet applied, there is no open pathway to file.
Who the Program Was Built For
The program covers nationals of seven countries: Cuba, Haiti, Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Ecuador. Cuba’s process dates to 2007 and Haiti’s to 2014. DHS added Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras in July 2023, and Ecuador in November 2023.5Federal Register. Implementation of a Family Reunification Parole Process for Ecuadorians
Only beneficiaries of approved family preference petitions qualify. Immediate relatives of U.S. citizens do not, because visas are generally available to them without a wait. The eligible categories are:
- F1: unmarried sons and daughters (21 or older) of U.S. citizens
- F2A: spouses and unmarried children under 21 of lawful permanent residents
- F2B: unmarried sons and daughters (21 or older) of lawful permanent residents
- F3: married sons and daughters of U.S. citizens
- F4: brothers and sisters of U.S. citizens (the petitioner must be at least 21)
Wait times in these categories can run several years to more than two decades depending on the country and preference. Family reunification parole was designed to close that gap, letting beneficiaries live and work in the U.S. while the visa queue moves rather than waiting abroad.
The program was invitation-only even when open. Neither the U.S. petitioner nor the relative abroad could initiate the process on their own. Invitations went to petitioners whose Form I-130 had already been approved, sent by the Department of State’s National Visa Center or by USCIS.4U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Family Reunification Parole Processes The beneficiary had to be outside the United States when the process began; the program has never applied to people already in the country.
If You Already Hold Parole Under the Program
Parole grants under this program generally run up to three years.3Federal Register. Termination of Family Reunification Parole Processes for Colombians, Cubans, Ecuadorians, Guatemalans, Haitians, Hondurans, and Salvadorans The court order protects you from early termination by the government but does not extend that period. When your grant expires on its own, it expires.
Work authorization is not automatic. Parolees have to file Form I-765 with USCIS and wait for approval before accepting a job.6U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Form I-765 Instructions As of January 1, 2026, the initial filing fee is $560, and renewals or extensions cost $280. A request for re-parole filed at the same time carries an additional $280 fee.7U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Announces FY 2026 Inflation Increase for Certain Immigration-Related Fees
Travel is where people get caught. Parole automatically terminates the moment you leave the United States. To travel abroad and preserve your ability to return, you must file Form I-131 and receive an advance parole document before you go. Even then, re-entry is not guaranteed; a CBP officer makes a fresh discretionary parole decision when you arrive back at the port of entry.4U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Family Reunification Parole Processes Leaving without advance parole can end your ability to return at all.
How the Filing Process Worked
The central form was Form I-134A, the “Online Request to be a Supporter and Declaration of Financial Support,” filed online with no paper alternative and no filing fee.8U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Form I-134A – Online Request to be a Supporter and Declaration of Financial Support The supporter had to show enough income and assets to support the beneficiary and the rest of the household at 100% of the federal poverty guidelines, a lower bar than the 125% required for the standard Affidavit of Support on Form I-864.9U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I-864P, HHS Poverty Guidelines for Affidavit of Support
Supporting evidence included federal tax returns from the most recent filing year, current pay stubs or an employment verification letter, and several months of bank statements. The form required beneficiary details — full legal names, dates of birth, and current foreign addresses — for every person being sponsored, and the dollar figures on the form had to match the uploaded documents exactly. All information was submitted under penalty of perjury.
Once USCIS confirmed the supporter’s finances, the beneficiary was directed to the CBP One mobile app to submit biographical data and a live photograph. That app is no longer available for parole purposes; its parole-related functions ended in January 2025. This is a practical reason, on top of the paused I-134A, that new cases cannot move forward even for petitioners who had already received invitations.
An approved beneficiary received advance travel authorization to board a commercial flight to a U.S. port of entry. The final parole decision was made by a CBP officer on arrival after an interview and document review.
Getting from Parole to a Green Card
Parole was always a bridge to the green card that the underlying Form I-130 petition would eventually produce. When your immigrant visa priority date becomes current — meaning a visa number is available for your family preference category and country of chargeability — you can file Form I-485 to adjust status to lawful permanent resident from inside the United States.10U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.