What is Humanitarian Sponsorship?

Humanitarian parole is a temporary immigration status that allows individuals facing urgent humanitarian crises to enter the U.S. legally. It is a discretionary status that can be granted or ended at any time by executive order of the president.

On Jan. 23, 2025, the Department of Homeland Security issued a notice directing immigration officials to review cases of individuals who are currently in the United States on humanitarian parole to determine whether to terminate their parole status and begin the process to remove them from the United States back to their home country. This includes beneficiaries of Processes for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans and, possibly, Uniting for Ukraine as well as Afghans with parole status.

We do not yet know how this guidance will be implemented or enforced, but we will share updates as we receive more information.

Newcomers with humanitarian parole status should apply for a more durable status as quickly as possible, ideally asylum if they are eligible. In general, deportation efforts are not directed at those who have a pending asylum application. Please consult our guide to alternative legal status options.

Sponsors seeking information about applications they have submitted may seek constituent services from their congressional representatives to inquire about the status of their application or share their support for sponsorship programs. Click here to consult our sponsor guide on contacting your congressional representative for help.

As of Jan. 20, 2025, DHS ended the Processes for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans (CHNV) program. The program is not accepting new applications, pending applications will not be processed, and no new travel authorizations will be issued.

DHS announced that it will terminate the humanitarian parole status for individuals who arrived in the United States through the CHNV sponsorship program. Termination of parole will take effect on April 24, 2025. If an individual's parole was set to expire earlier, termination would occur on the expiration date. DHS intends to prioritize removing individuals from the U.S. who haven’t applied for another status, like TPS or asylum, by March 25, 2025. View our CHNV policy explainer page for more information and resources.

Sponsors can consult our guide to alternative legal options for humanitarian parolees to seek professional legal counsel.

As of Jan. 28, 2025, DHS has paused the Uniting for Ukraine (U4U) program. The program is not accepting new applications, pending applications will not be processed, and no new travel authorizations are being issued.

The March 25th DHS notice of CHNV termination does not apply to individuals who arrived in the U.S. through U4U; however, recent reports suggest the government may also terminate humanitarian parole status for this population. View our humanitarian parole explainer page for more information and resources.

Sponsors can consult our guide to alternative legal options for humanitarian parolees to seek professional legal counsel.

The DHS announced that it will terminate the humanitarian parole status for individuals who arrived in the U.S. through the CHNV program. Termination of parole will take effect 30 days after the official notice is published. The expected publication date of the notice is March 25, 2025, meaning parole would be terminated on April 24, 2025. Additionally, if an individual's parole is set to expire earlier, termination would occur on the expiration date. DHS intends to prioritize removing individuals from the U.S. who haven’t applied for another status, like TPS or asylum, by March 25, 2025. View our CHNV policy explainer page for more information and resources.

This order of termination is specific to individuals who were sponsored through the CHNV sponsorship program. It does not apply to individuals who arrived in the U.S. through U4U, however recent reports suggest the government may also terminate humanitarian parole status for this population. Individuals who arrived through U4U and do not have another status or a pending application for another status, such as TPS or asylum, should seek professional legal counsel and apply for alternative legal status, if eligible. Learn more about applying for another status in our guide to alternative legal options for humanitarian parolees.