Humanitarian Parole Lawyers in Houston

Do You Need to Enter the U.S. Due to an Emergency?

There are many scenarios in which foreign nationals need to enter the United States for emergency humanitarian reasons, such as when they are in serious need of medical care in the U.S.

When this happens, the U.S. government may grant humanitarian parole. This allows individuals who would otherwise be inadmissible to enter the country for a temporary period of time, according to information from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). In addition to humanitarian purposes, entry might also be granted for the purpose of significantly benefiting public interests.

Guidelines for Those Under Humanitarian Parole

Those who are granted entry under humanitarian parole must depart the United States as soon as their parole period ends. Humanitarian parole is used sparingly, and it does not extend immigration benefits to those who are granted this form of relief. People can, however, take steps to obtain permanent status to stay in the United States, such as when they are granted asylum are able to obtain green cards through family-based immigration.

If you are in a situation where you need to obtain humanitarian parole, you can turn to Simon Law Group, PLLC for dedicated legal assistance from a skilled Houston immigration attorney!

Types of Humanitarian Parole

Some of the common emergencies that may make someone qualify for humanitarian parole include the following, according to USCIS:

• Medical needs (such as when you need medical treatment that is available in the U.S.)
• The reunification of families (such as when you are attending a family member's funeral)
• Court proceedings (such as when you are part of a trial that is taking place in the U.S.)
• Other types of emergencies

Who Is Eligible for Urgent Humanitarian Parole?

Parole into the United States is decided on a case-by-case basis. A person is usually only granted humanitarian parole when it is clear that they either would not qualify for a U.S. visa or when it is clear that the visa processing time would take too long for the person to get to the U.S. in time for their legitimate emergency. The USCIS specifically tries to weed out any applicants who appear to be using the humanitarian parole system solely to bypass the normal visa issuing process, so it is important that you are able to provide a detailed explanation that clearly demonstrates the urgency of your situation in your petition.

Who Can Apply for Humanitarian Parole?

There are a couple of ways to petition for humanitarian parole. Someone within the U.S. can file a petition on behalf of a person who is outside of the country, or the person outside the country can petition for himself or herself.

Certain factors--such as a life-threatening medical emergency or the fact that a petition is for a disabled person or child under the age of 16--can potentially expedite the processing of the humanitarian parole request. When you work with Simon Law Group, our immigration attorneys can help you fill out your application and include the appropriate supplemental documents.