Latest changes to humanitarian parole programs, including private sponsorship programs

Latest updates

All asylum applications are on hold for final decisions

On Dec. 2, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued a memo pausing all pending asylum applications (Form I-589), for everyone, regardless of nationality. USCIS is not issuing final decisions (approval or denial) at this time, even if interviews are happening. If a newcomer who entered the U.S. through a humanitarian parole pathway has submitted an asylum application, their application has been paused. New applications can be submitted, but decisions will not be made until further guidance or the pause is lifted.

USCIS is pausing processing of immigration applications and will re-review some previously approved immigration applications for individuals from certain countries

The same USCIS memo also paused processing for immigration applications for individuals from the 19 countries listed in the Trump administration’s travel ban that was announced in June. The pause includes applications for green cards and all other immigration-related applications.

The memo also says the agency will reexamine immigration applications approved on or after Jan. 20, 2021, including green cards and work permits, for individuals from the 19 countries listed in the Trump administration’s travel ban that was announced in June. Cuba, Haiti, and Venezuela are included in the travel ban, meaning some individuals who entered the U.S. through humanitarian parole may be affected.

A re-review does not automatically mean a benefit will be taken away. It may involve additional screening, requests for more information, or another interview. USCIS has not provided details on how the re-review will take place.

On Dec. 4, USCIS announced it is reducing Employment Authorization Documents for some newcomers from five years to 18 months to more frequently vet individuals applying for work authorization. This change does not apply to existing work permits. Effective Dec. 5, 2025, applications for work permits will be limited to 18 months for:

• Newcomers with refugee status
• Asylees, newcomers with pending applications for asylum or withholding of removal
• Newcomers granted withholding of deportation or removal
• Newcomers with pending applications for adjustment of status under INA 245
• Newcomers with pending applications for suspension of deportation, cancellation of removal, or relief under the Nicaraguan Adjustment and Central American Relief Act

Parole status terminated for CHNV newcomers

• On June 12, 2025, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that it began sending termination notices for humanitarian parole status and work authorization to individuals who arrived in the U.S. through the Processes for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans (CHNV) sponsorship program. This is following a Supreme Court decision on May 30 that granted the Trump administration’s emergency request to terminate humanitarian parole status for individuals who arrived in the U.S. through the CHNV sponsorship program.

Re-parole has been granted to some Ukrainian newcomers

• In August 2025, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) resumed processing Uniting for Ukraine (U4U) renewal (aka re-parole) applications for Ukrainians who are here in the U.S.
• See this guidance by the Ukraine Immigration Task Force on how to submit a re-parole application and when to consider expedited processing. If your U4U beneficiary is still awaiting a renewal for parole or work authorization, we encourage you to contact your congressional representative and submit a constituency request for their staff to do a congressional inquiry to USCIS to check on the status of their case. You can reference our contact your representative guide to learn how to submit this request.

New USCIS fee for humanitarian parole and re-parole

On Oct. 16, the Department of Homeland Security issued a notice that it is implementing a $1,000 fee each time a person is granted humanitarian parole or re-parole, as required by the new law H.R. 1, which the Trump administration called the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act.” The fee is due when humanitarian parole or re-parole is actually granted (not when the request is filed). There are 10 exceptions under which the fee will not be required (for example, serious medical emergencies, family death, organ donation, or assistance to U.S. law enforcement).

This new fee is applicable to Uniting for Ukraine (U4U) beneficiaries in the U.S. with a pending re-parole application, or who intend to apply for re-parole in the future. Beginning on Oct. 16, when USCIS decides to grant re-parole, they will issue a notice to the applicant stating that their re-parole approval is conditional upon payment of the $1,000 fee. USCIS will provide payment instructions and a deadline for each individual case through the myUSCIS portal. Re-parole will only be granted after the fee has been paid. Failure to pay within the time period provided in the conditional approval notice would result in denial of the re-parole request. Each individual applicant is required to file for re-parole separately and pay the fee, including applicants under the age of 18.

To be clear, this does not apply to humanitarian parole programs that have been terminated such as the Processes for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans (CHNV).

Applying for alternative legal statuses

On May 28, 2025, a federal judge issued a ruling ordering the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to restart processing immigration applications for people in the U.S. through humanitarian parole programs like U4U and CHNV. This means that these individuals can once again submit immigration applications for statuses such as asylum. Applications that were already submitted can also move forward.

People with pending applications can check their status through their myUSCIS account and consult with their legal counsel on the status of their application.

We strongly recommend that newcomers apply for asylum or another permanent status if they qualify. Sponsors can help by connecting them with legal services. Check out our guide to alternative legal options for support.

Background on the use of humanitarian parole in the United States

• Humanitarian parole is a temporary immigration status that allows individuals facing urgent humanitarian crises to enter the United States legally.
• Humanitarian parole is a legal authority that has been used for nearly a century by Republican and Democratic presidents alike to respond to humanitarian crises. For example, President Eisenhower admitted nearly 30,000 people from Hungary following the collapse of the anti-Communist revolution. From the 1960s–1990s, presidents of both parties used humanitarian parole to establish programs that helped hundreds of thousands people fleeing persecution from Cuba, Vietnam, Indochina, and other areas arrive safely in the United States. And most recently, it has been used to help Afghans after the takeover of their country by the Taliban in 2021; Ukrainians after the Russian invasion in 2022; as well as Venezuelans, Cubans, Nicaraguans fleeing persecution from authoritarian leaders and Haitians seeking safety as their government collapsed.
• Sponsors welcomed them—using their own private resources to provide housing and meet immediate essential needs, help newcomers find employment and enroll kids in school, and extend a helping hand as friends and neighbors to newcomers rebuilding their lives in the United States. These newcomers have contributed to local economies and businesses, becoming our new neighbors, colleagues, and, for many of us, members of our extended family.
• Both the sponsors and newcomers passed thorough background checks, security vetting, and financial reviews carried out by the U.S. government before the newcomers are approved to travel to the United States.
• Individuals with humanitarian parole seeking to remain in the United States and those concerned for their safety can consult this guide to alternative legal options for humanitarian parolees. Individuals with questions or concerns about changes to humanitarian parole can contact their federal and local representatives using this guide.

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