Emergency Advance Parole for a family emergency abroad

This is general information, not legal advice. We know how hard this moment is. Take it one call at a time.

This page covers fast requests for a family crisis. Routine travel is on Advance Parole: who can get it and how to apply.

Can I get permission to travel fast?

Maybe. Two things have to be true:

1. You fit an advance parole group. For example, approved DACA, a pending green card (I-485), a pending asylum case (I-589), a pending first TPS case, an approved T or U visa, or current parole. USCIS does not accept requests from people outside those groups (USCIS filing address page). If you are undocumented with no pending case, there is no emergency version for you, and leaving can mean you cannot return.
2. You have a pressing or critical need. USCIS gives the death or grave illness of a family member or close friend as an example (USCIS Emergency Travel page, updated January 24, 2025).

If both are true, there are two fast paths.

Both come from the USCIS Emergency Travel page.

Is it safe for me to go?

Ask this before anything else. Since August 13, 2026, USCIS says leaving after you get an advance parole document counts as a departure for the 3 and 10 year bars (Form I-131 page, updated October 7, 2026). If you had more than 180 days without status after turning 18, you could be barred from coming back, even with a valid document.

An emergency does not change that rule. A lawyer can count your unlawful presence in one phone call if you have your dates ready. Some people will still decide to go to say goodbye. That is your choice to make, with the facts. See Is it safe to travel outside the US with DACA right now?

What do I bring to the emergency appointment?

USCIS lists these for an emergency field office appointment (USCIS Emergency Travel page):

• A completed, signed Form I-131, with the fee for your group. Even if you already have an I-131 pending, USCIS says you still file a new one at the appointment.
• Proof you qualify for advance parole: for example, your DACA approval notice, your I-485 or I-589 receipt, or your T or U approval.
• Proof of the emergency.
• 2 passport style photos.
• Certified English translations of anything in another language.

What proof of the emergency works?

USCIS gives these examples on its Expedite Requests page (updated September 8, 2026):

• A death: a letter from the funeral home or hospital, a death certificate, or an obituary.
• A serious illness: a letter from the doctor, hospital or clinic that explains how urgent the health problem is.
• Your connection to the person: a birth certificate, marriage certificate or a sworn statement.

Ask your family abroad to send a doctor's letter today, by photo or email. It should name the patient, the illness, how serious it is, and the date. Get a translation started right away.

How do I pay at the office?

USCIS says fees paid at a USCIS office go through pay.gov by credit or debit card, or from a U.S. bank account with Form G-1650. Cash is never accepted (USCIS fee schedule). The paper fee for most groups is $630. Confirm the amount for your group before the appointment.

What if I already filed Form I-131?

Ask USCIS to expedite it. On the Expedite Requests page, USCIS says:

• Call the Contact Center at 800-375-5283 or ask Emma. Have your receipt number ready.
• If you have a USCIS online account with secure messaging, choose "expedite" and upload your proof there too.
• An unexpected trip, such as for a funeral, may justify a faster decision.
• The decision is up to USCIS, case by case. Not every request is granted.

If your trip is now less than 15 days away and the case is still pending, USCIS says you can ask for emergency issuance instead (Emergency Travel page).

What happens when I come back?

A CBP officer inspects you and decides whether to let you in. Advance parole does not guarantee reentry (USCIS travel documents page).

Plan on the $1,050 parole fee. CBP collects it each time you are paroled in. The law lists exceptions. Two are for a close family member: coming to see a family member in the United States whose death is imminent, or coming to attend a close family member's funeral, when the person could not arrive in time through the normal visa process (DHS notice, October 16, 2025). They are written for people coming to the U.S. for those reasons, not for people coming home after visiting a relative abroad, so plan to pay. Green card applicants returning from temporary travel have a separate exception. If you think one fits you, ask a lawyer before you travel. Bring the same proof you showed USCIS.

Keep the trip inside the dates on your document. Do not stay longer, even for the funeral or the days after, unless your lawyer says it is safe. More on the return: What happens when I return from advance parole travel?

What if USCIS says no, or I cannot go?

This is the hardest part, and we will not pretend otherwise.

• Ask your lawyer about next steps. A lawyer may see a fix in your papers or a better way to ask.
• Do not leave without a document. If you have DACA, leaving without advance parole risks not getting back in, and USCIS can end your DACA (DACA FAQ Q61). If your green card case is pending, USCIS will deny it in most cases. If your asylum case is pending, USCIS will treat it as abandoned (USCIS travel documents page).
• Be there another way. A video call during the last days. A recorded message read at the service. A relative with papers who can travel and stand in for you.
• Let people hold you up. Grieving from far away is its own kind of pain. See Living with grief when a loved one was deported and Mental health care without fear.

If you are thinking about hurting yourself or you are in emotional crisis, call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, free and confidential, 24/7. If someone is in danger right now, call 911.

What mistakes cost people time?

• Calling USCIS before you have proof. Get the doctor's letter first, even a photo of it.
• Forgetting proof of the relationship. A death certificate alone does not show the person was your mother.
• Skipping the translation. Documents in another language need a full certified English translation.
• Bringing only your pending I-131. At an emergency appointment, USCIS wants a new one.
• Booking a nonrefundable ticket before you have the document in hand.
• Paying someone who promises a guaranteed emergency permit. No one can promise that. See Warning signs of an immigration scam.

Questions people ask us

How fast can it happen? USCIS does not promise a time. The emergency process is for people who must leave in under 15 days.

Can I go to a USCIS office without an appointment? USCIS says to call the Contact Center or use My Appointment, and it will schedule you if your situation qualifies.

My dad is sick but not dying. Does that count? USCIS lists grave illness. A doctor's letter that explains how serious and urgent it is will matter most.

Can I go for a funeral after the death? A death is one of USCIS's examples. Move fast, because funerals happen quickly.

I have TPS already. Is this the same? People who already have TPS get a TPS travel authorization, which USCIS can also issue on an emergency basis (Emergency Travel page). See Can I travel outside the U.S. with TPS?

Who can help?

You don't have to do this alone. These are free or low cost legal services. Contact them to confirm hours, languages and openings. Being listed here is not a referral or a promise of service.

• Anywhere in California: the state's map of free immigration legal services, or call (916) 651-8017.
• Outside California: the Justice Department's list of free legal service providers.
• San Mateo County: Community Legal Services in East Palo Alto, (650) 326-6440. Legal Aid Society of San Mateo County, (650) 558-0915. Immigration Institute of the Bay Area, Redwood City, (650) 587-1558 for a free first consultation by appointment. San Mateo County Immigrant Services, (650) 363-4194.
• Santa Clara County: Office of Immigrant Relations partners.

Is there a checklist and script I can print?

We are holding you and your family in our thoughts. Whatever you decide, you are not alone in it.