Parole in Place Expanded By White House Today
By Brian in Citizenship & Naturalization | Immigration | Visas and Green Cards | on 2024-06-18 16:56:04
“Parole in place,” a legal benefit currently available to certain family members of those in the military, has been expanded to hundreds of thousands of other individuals in the U.S. by President Biden. Certain spouses of U.S. citizens will have new legal options now.
How Does Parole in Place Work?
Parole in place is often life changing for those awarded this immigration benefit. First, once parole in place is approved, an individual can apply for work authorization and request a work permit and social security card. Second, the individual may then become eligible for adjustment of status to lawful permanent residency and receive a green card. Adjustment of status is only available to individuals who entered with permission, such as on a visa, or who receives parole which is not conditional. Thus, parole opens the door to put someone who entered across the river in a similar legal situation as someone who entered with a visa.
Many spouses of U.S. citizens may now be eligible to apply for a green card as proof of lawful permanent resident status if they receive parole in place first. This means that these individuals will NOT have to leave the U.S. to receive permanent legal status. For example, anyone with a provisional waiver (I-601A) pending now, who is basically waiting in line for an interview at the consulate, may be able to skip that line, avoid having to leave the U.S., and simply start the green card process and complete it entirely within U.S. borders. And those who have never started any process could benefit as well. In summary, anyone who entered the U.S. once without inspection, unlawfully, may have new options to receive a green card within the U.S. based on this new announcement.
Who is Affected by the Parole in Place Changes?
The Biden announcement reads:
To be considered on a case-by-case basis for this process, an individual must:
- Be present in the United States without admission or parole;
- Have been continuously present in the United States for at least 10 years as of June 17, 2024; and
- Have a legally valid marriage to a U.S. citizen as of June 17, 2024.
In addition, individuals must have no disqualifying criminal history or otherwise constitute a threat to national security or public safety and should otherwise merit a favorable exercise of discretion. Noncitizen children of potential requestors may also be considered for parole under this process if they are physically present in the United States without admission or parole and have a qualifying stepchild relationship to a U.S. citizen as of June 17, 2024.
Contact Sparks Law Today!
Sparks Law has been representing families eligible for parole in place for many years, since the program first began under Former President Obama in 2013. Sparks Law welcomes this announcement and is excited about the possibility of legalizing the status of many more family members of U.S. citizens.
Julie Sparks
Julie Sparks is Board Certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization in Immigration and Nationality Law, one of a few such attorneys in Texas. After 15 years of practice in this field, she has represented immigrants from more than 70 different countries.
