On October 12, 2022, the U.S. government announced it was creating a new parole program to allow some Venezuelans outside the U.S. to come legally to the U.S. Under immigration law, the U.S. government may give parole to immigrants on a case-by-case basis for “urgent humanitarian reasons or significant public benefit.” Here are the highlights of the program:
- The program is only available to Venezuelan citizens outside the U.S. It also does not include Venezuelans who have permanent residence or citizenship in another country.
- Parole is a temporary benefit. In this case, it will be approved for a maximum of two years, with possible opportunities to apply for additional time.
- Applicants will need to have a sponsor in the U.S. who will be able to accept financial responsibility for them. The U.S. sponsor does not need to be a family member. It can be any U.S. citizen, national, or lawful permanent resident who is willing to be a sponsor. The sponsor may also be someone who holds lawful status in the U.S. such as Temporary Protected Status or asylum; or be a parolee or recipient of deferred action or Deferred Enforced Departure.
- The application process is all online. First, the sponsor will need to file a Form I-134 on the USCIS website here: https://my.uscis.gov/ after creating an account. If USCIS accepts the I-134, it will send an email to the applicant for parole. The email will include instructions for the applicant to create their own USCIS online account and complete the application.
- The parole application requires applicants to submit background checks and provide proof of proper vaccinations, including the COVID-19 vaccine, with limited exceptions.
- If applicants are approved, their travel documents will appear on their online account. They will not need to go to a U.S. consulate. They can use this travel document to travel to the U.S. along with a valid passport. Please keep in mind that certain expired Venezuelan passports will be accepted as valid. This includes:
A Venezuelan passport:
- Issued before June 7, 2019 (even if expired before this date), without a passport extension (“prórroga”), is considered valid and unexpired for five years beyond the expiration date printed in the passport.
- Issued on or after June 7, 2019, without a “prórroga” is not considered valid beyond the expiration date printed in the passport.
- Regardless of the passport issue date, with a “prórroga” issued before June 7, 2019, a passport is considered valid and unexpired for five years beyond the expiration date of the “prorroga.”
- Regardless of the passport issue date, with a “prórroga” issued on or after June 7, 2019, a passport is considered valid and unexpired through the expiration date of the “prórroga.”
- Applicants approved for parole are responsible for arranging for their own travel to the U.S.
If you or someone you know has questions about the new parole program for Venezuelans, please call our Kansas City office at 913-210-0939 to schedule a consultation.