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.

On May 30, 2025, the Supreme Court allowed the Trump administration to end the CHNV humanitarian parole program and terminate legal status for CHNV newcomers. This means CHNV parole is no longer valid, and the government can start deportation unless someone secured protection from deportation through another legal status, such as a pending asylum application.

If a newcomer you know is impacted by this decision:

• Get legal help immediately: All individuals with a primary status of humanitarian parole should consult an immigration attorney immediately. Find an immigration attorney through the American Immigration Lawyers’ Association search tool.
• Consult our parole termination resources hub, which includes resources to understand newcomers’ rights and possible next steps.

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

As of Jan. 28, 2025, the U.S. government has paused the Uniting for Ukraine (U4U) program. No new U4U applications are being accepted, pending cases won’t be processed, and no new travel authorizations are being issued.

The May 30 Supreme Court ruling, which ended CHNV humanitarian parole, does not apply to U4U beneficiaries. However, there are media reports that the government may also end humanitarian parole for U4U in the future.

Visit our humanitarian parole explainer page for more details and resources.

If you are a sponsor, check out our guide to alternative legal options for parolees and get legal advice from an immigration expert.

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.