Parole In Place: What is it and Who are eligible?
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued a policy memorandum on November 15, 2013, which clarified Parole in Place. The memo says that a spouse, child, or parent of a qualifying military member (active duty, reserve, or veteran) will be able to achieve legal status in the U.S. Parole in Place allows the military relative to request parole for his or her immediate relative. Once parole is granted, the immediate relative military member can then apply for your green card. Parole in Place will forgive the illegal entry.
Who is Eligible for Parole in Place?
The decision to grant Parole in Place is discretionary. That means it is on the applicant to show they warrant discretion. The philosophy behind this is our troops should not have to worry about the stress of a loved one facing deportation while they are serving their country. You must show the following:
- You are an active duty member of the U.S. Armed Forces, member of the Selected Reserve of the Ready Reserve, or veteran who previously served in the U.S. Armed Forced or Selected Reserve of the Ready Reserve;
- You have an immediate relative (parent, spouse, or child) for whom you want to apply;
- Your immediate relative hasn’t been convicted of disqualifying crime; and
- Your immediate relative is a good moral person deserving of discretion
After receiving Parole in Place can my immediate relative Adjust her Status?
Yes, if the only barrier to her adjustment was the illegal entry. The granting of parole satisfies the requirement that your immediate relative is inspected, admitted, or paroled. If your relative is an immediate relative, then she can adjust. If she isn’t an immediate relative, meaning that she isn’t your spouse, parent, or child, she must satisfy a different exception in INA section 245(k). An immediate relative, for example, doesn’t have to show that she has maintained legal status prior to your application.
So, the army veteran who met with me yesterday, he can apply for his mother. She will not have to leave the U.S., and she will not be subject to the 10-year bar. She will be able to adjust her status in the U.S. The process will take a little longer because she must first be granted parole in place, but she was very happy to receive the good news.