To file Form I-134A, the Online Request to be a Supporter and Declaration of Financial Support, a U.S.-based individual submits the form through a myUSCIS account, uploads financial and identity documents for review, and waits for USCIS to vet them before the beneficiary can take their own steps. That is the process on paper. In practice, USCIS paused acceptance of all new I-134A filings on January 28, 2025, and is not processing new travel authorizations while the federal government reviews its categorical parole programs.1U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Update on Form I-134A No new supporter can file the form today. The instructions below describe how filing worked before the pause and how it would work if acceptance resumes.
Why New Filings Are Paused
The pause followed an executive order signed on January 20, 2025, directing the Secretary of Homeland Security to terminate categorical parole programs, including the Processes for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans (CHNV).2The White House. Securing Our Borders Uniting for Ukraine (U4U) was also paused for new applicants on January 28, 2025. USCIS resumed processing U4U re-parole applications for Ukrainians already in the United States in August 2025, but no new outside-the-country applicants are being accepted for any I-134A program.
A federal district court in Massachusetts stayed the CHNV terminations in April 2025 in Svitlana Doe et al. v. Kristi Noem et al., so people already paroled in under CHNV should not have their status treated as terminated while that case continues. The court order does not reopen new filings; it protects existing parolees.
Who Can Be a Supporter
Only individuals could file Form I-134A. Organizations and businesses could not serve as supporters. Eligible individuals had to hold lawful status in the United States, including U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents, people with Temporary Protected Status, asylees, and people already present under a parole status.1U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Update on Form I-134A
The supporter also had to show enough income or assets to support the beneficiary for the full parole period, typically two years, and to keep the beneficiary above the Federal Poverty Guidelines. For reference, the 2026 poverty guideline for a single person in the 48 contiguous states is $15,960 per year, and $21,640 for a two-person household.3U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. 2026 Poverty Guidelines When you calculate whether your income clears the threshold, count your own household plus the beneficiary. Filing for multiple beneficiaries is allowed, but each added person raises the income you need to show.
The form covered three programs: CHNV (nationals of Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela), Uniting for Ukraine, and Family Reunification Parole for certain relatives with approved immigrant visa petitions waiting for a priority date to become current. You do not need to be related to the beneficiary to file.
Documents to Gather Before Filing
The I-134A is online-only, filed through myUSCIS, so every document has to be uploaded digitally as a PDF or image. Gather the following before starting:
Personal information for both parties. Full legal name, date of birth, mailing and physical addresses, and contact information for the supporter and the beneficiary. For the beneficiary you also need the passport number and Alien Registration Number (A-Number) if one has been assigned.4U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Form I-134 – Declaration of Financial Support Passport number errors are one of the most common problems after filing, so double-check the entry against the passport itself.
Financial evidence. USCIS draws these requirements from the same framework used for other declarations of support:5U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Form I-134 Instructions
- A bank statement or letter from a bank officer showing when the account was opened, total deposits over the past year, and the current balance.
- An employment verification letter on company letterhead with hire date, job description, salary, and whether the position is permanent or temporary.
- Your most recent federal tax return or a tax transcript. If you did not file, or if the return does not reflect your current income, substitute recent pay stubs, a W-2, or Form SSA-1099.
- Asset documentation if you are relying on assets rather than income: proof of ownership, description of the asset, and evidence of net cash value. For real estate, this means a recent appraisal from a licensed appraiser plus documentation of any mortgage or lien.
The form itself has fields for annual income, current market value of stocks, bonds, and real estate, and total value of assets convertible to cash. There is no filing fee.
Filing the Form Through myUSCIS
Start by creating a USCIS online account at my.uscis.gov if you do not already have one. The account uses two-step verification.6U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. How to Create a USCIS Online Account Once inside, select Form I-134A, complete each section, upload the supporting documents, and sign electronically.
After submission, USCIS runs a background check on the supporter and posts status updates in the myUSCIS account. If the supporter is confirmed, USCIS emails the beneficiary a link to create their own myUSCIS account. The beneficiary uses that account to enter biographical information and attest to health-related requirements. Beneficiaries in the air-travel programs then request advance travel authorization through the CBP One mobile app, and only after that authorization is granted can they book flights.7U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. CBP One Quick Reference Guide – Traveler (Air) Advance Travel Authorization
Fixing Mistakes After You File
You can correct errors on an I-134A, but how you fix them depends on where the case is in the pipeline:8U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. How to Correct Mistakes on Your Form I-134A for the Processes for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans
- While the form is still pending, upload a document to your myUSCIS account explaining the error, along with a copy of the beneficiary’s passport if the mistake involves passport details. Do not call the USCIS Contact Center.
- After confirmation but before beneficiary attestations, to fix the beneficiary’s email address, upload a hand-signed letter (not an electronic signature) explaining the error and send a message through myUSCIS requesting the change.
- After confirmation, if the passport number or country of citizenship is wrong, the beneficiary uploads a valid, unexpired passport to their own myUSCIS account and sends a message.
- After beneficiary attestations but before travel authorization, either party uploads the passport and messages through their account.
- After travel authorization has been issued, the existing form can no longer be corrected. The supporter must file a brand-new I-134A. A new form cannot be filed while a prior one is still pending; USCIS rejects duplicates.
Passport numbers, beneficiary email addresses, and Social Security numbers are the fields where mistakes most often show up. Getting them right the first time avoids restarting the process from scratch.
What You Are Agreeing To
By signing the I-134A, the supporter commits to helping the beneficiary during the parole period: arranging safe housing, helping access healthcare and immunizations, assisting with getting a Social Security card and Employment Authorization Document, and helping enroll children in school or connect adults with English classes. The supporter is the beneficiary’s primary point of contact for daily life during parole.
Form I-134A is not the same as Form I-864, the Affidavit of Support used in family-based green card cases. The I-864 is a legally binding contract enforceable by the government and the sponsored immigrant, lasting until the immigrant naturalizes or earns 40 qualifying work quarters. The I-134A is a declaration of financial capacity and intent that USCIS uses to decide whether to grant parole; a beneficiary cannot sue a supporter to enforce it the way they could under an I-864. False statements on the form still carry federal penalties for immigration fraud, including fines and prosecution.
Form I-134A Versus Form I-134
The names are close enough to cause confusion. Form I-134 (no “A”) is the older, general-purpose Declaration of Financial Support, filed on paper and submitted alongside other applications, such as Form I-131 for a travel document, to show that a visitor or nonimmigrant applicant has a sponsor in the United States. Form I-134A was built for the humanitarian parole programs above, filed only online through myUSCIS, and it acts as the initiating document for the supporter’s role rather than as supporting evidence attached to another petition.
If You Already Have a Pending or Approved I-134A
For CHNV parolees, the April 2025 order in the Massachusetts case blocks the government from terminating parole while the litigation continues. Individual termination notices sent through myUSCIS accounts are stayed. For Ukrainian parolees, re-parole applications resumed processing in August 2025, so if your initial U4U parole is nearing expiration, filing for re-parole through myUSCIS is the extension path.
Parolees already in the United States under any of these programs can still apply for an Employment Authorization Document using Form I-765.9U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Application for Employment Authorization Keep your myUSCIS contact information current. If you receive a termination notice despite the court order, talk to an immigration attorney before you act on it.