A new report entitled “Immigration Options for Immigration Parolees” has been published by the Congressional Research Service (CRS). This report, a 14-page PDF, contains information that is relevant to the thousands of Afghan evacuees who received immigration parole in August 2021 during and shortly after the Kabul non-combatant evacuation operation (NEO) of Afghanistan in August 2021.
Under the 2021 parole initiative, Afghans received parole for two years – allowing them to temporarily stay in the country for two years and apply for work authorization. However, a parolee does not have a dedicated pathway to U.S. lawful permanent resident (LPR) status or another immigration status.
They may be eligible individually for one or more immigration mechanisms that offer a way to remain lawfully in the United States on a temporary or permanent basis. Existing temporary options include re-parole and temporary protected status (TPS). Some options that provide LPR status or a dedicated pathway to LPR status include asylum, family-based immigration, and, in the case of Afghans, special immigrant visa (SIV) programs.
This CRS report provides the details of the information provided above.
Immigration Options for Immigration Parolees, Congressional Research Service, CRS R47654, August 17, 2023, PDF, 14 pages.
https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/R/R47654