On November 15, 2013, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued a policy memorandum expanding USCIS’s authority to grant parole requests filed by spouses, children and parents of active duty members of the U.S. Armed Forces, the Selected Reserve or veterans who previously served in the U.S. Armed Forces or the Selected Reserve.  The act of granting parole creates a lawful entry and limited permission to be present in the United States. USCIS has broad authority to grant parole to individuals who are present in the U.S. without permission but, in its discretion, usually grants relatively few requests.  What the memorandum makes clear is that special consideration should be given to parole requests made by close family members of those serving in active duty, the reserves and veterans.

The practical effect of this policy is that close family members of the military who are granted parole may now qualify to apply for permanent residence status.  If you are the spouse, child or parent of a military veteran, active duty member or member of the reserves, contact one of our attorneys at 312.341.9730 to determine whether you are affected by this policy change.

You can find the memo in full here (pdf).