In June 2024, President Biden announced a newly introduced immigration program that will allow certain spouses of U.S. citizens to apply for “parole-in-place” from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). For example, certain undocumented spouses of U.S. citizens might be able to protect themselves from deportation by applying for temporary protections, work permits, and even lawful permanent resident (LPR) statuses in some cases. The program has been titled the “Process to Promote Unity and Stability of Families.”
This process will only allow up to 550,000 applications (possibly per year going forward), and each application will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Also, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has not begun to accept applications under this specialized program yet; the first date to apply is currently set as August 19, 2024.
To be considered eligible for certain deportation protections under this program, you must:
- Be present in the United States without admission or parole;
- Have been continuously present in the United States for at least 10 years as of June 17, 2024;
- Have a legally valid marriage to a U.S. citizen as of June 17, 2024;
- Not be considered disqualified by a government entity due to criminal history or labeling as a security threat; and,
- Otherwise, be considered worthy of a “favorable exercise of discretion” from USCIS.
USCIS has also announced that certain noncitizen children of requestors may be considered eligible, too, if they were also physically present in the United States as of June 17, 2024, and are considered the stepchild of a U.S. citizen.
Prepare Today to Use the Expanded Parole-in-Place Program
Although the Process to Promote Unity and Stability of Families program is not yet accepting applications for special parole-in-place allowances, you can still take steps today to get ready to apply for it if you think it is the right choice for you.
To prepare for the parole-in-place program that may allow you to use specialized deportation protections as someone in a mixed-status family, you should:
- Talk to Maney | Gordon | Zeller, P.A.: At Maney | Gordon | Zeller, P.A., our immigration attorneys provide honest legal counsel to people across the country and from any country in the world. We would be happy to sit down with you to discuss if this program could help you and your family stay together in the United States.
- Gather documentation: If we determine that you should be eligible and can benefit from this specialized parole-in-place program, you can start gathering important documentation early. Marriage certifications, proof of identity (birth certificate, passport, driver’s license, etc.), proof of your spouse’s citizenship, and various documents that prove you lived within the U.S. for the last 10 years (employment records, utility bills, medical records, school records, tax returns, etc.) can all be incredibly helpful. Of course, you can also ask our attorneys for help gathering the right documentation, too.
If you have any immigration law and procedure questions, including those related to the upcoming parole-in-place program for undocumented spouses of U.S. citizens, reach out to Maney | Gordon | Zeller, P.A. at any time. Our immigration lawyers offer nationwide legal counsel, so you can get our help, no matter where you are. With more than 40 years of experience behind us, we are proud to be one of the country’s most trusted immigration law firms. Call (800) 708-4399 now to request a consultation with our team.
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