Treatment of Advanced Parole by CBP at Ports of Entry

In liaison notes released on December 17, 2014, by the American Immigration Lawyers Association, the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agency revealed that travelers entering the United States using advanced parole documents will always be placed in secondary inspection.  CBP writes that this is “for verification of the document and to verify their validity,” which can take some time.  This means travelers using advanced parole should incorporate extra airport time in their itineraries, especially if they have connecting flights in the United States.

Advanced parole is a way for certain people who are present in the U.S. to travel abroad and return to this country without having to obtain a visa for re-entry.  Classes of people eligible for advanced parole include applicants for adjustment of status to lawful permanent residence, Temporary Protected Status registrants, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) registrants, and in the future is likely to include Deferred Action for Parental Accountability (DAPA) registrants.

Travelling abroad using Advanced Parole requires planning in advance because the immigration service takes at least approximately 90 days to issue the document following an application.