Family reunification parole programs for Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras
The Biden administration has launched a new immigration program to allow some nationals of Central America and Colombia to enter the United States.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on July 7 announced it’s implementing “new family reunification parole (FRP) processes” for Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras. The program was first announced in April.
The FRP processes allow certain migrants with U.S. relatives to enter and work legally while they await their U.S. immigration visas.
“Specifically, nationals of these [four] countries can be considered for parole on a case-by-case basis for a period of up to three years while they wait to apply to become a lawful permanent resident,” the DHS stated on July 7.
Potentially eligible migrants are those from the four countries who have family members that are U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents in the United States.
The latest initiative, according to the DHS, is part of the comprehensive measures the DHS and State Department announced in April “to further reduce unlawful migration across the Western Hemisphere, significantly expand lawful pathways for protection, and facilitate the safe, orderly, and humane processing of migrants.”
The FRP processes were available to Cubans starting in 2007 and Haitians starting in 2014. The Trump administration had halted the programs, but the Biden administration later restarted them.
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The U.S. family member must file Form I-30—also referred to as the Petition for Alien Relative—on behalf of their Colombian, Salvadoran, Guatemalan, or Honduran relative, and have the petition approved.
If approved, the State Department would issue an invitation to the petitioning U.S. family member, who can then start the FRP process by filing a request on behalf of their migrant relative, to be considered for advance travel authorization and parole.
The DHS said on July 7 that, if the foreign national is granted parole status, which grants them entry into the United States, they can then request employment authorization while waiting for their immigrant visa to become available. When the immigrant visa is available, they may apply for permanent residency—also referred to as a green card.
