The Haitian Family Reunification Leave Program and the World War II Filipino Veterans Leave Program will be canceled.
WASHINGTON.— In accordance with the agency’s August 2019 announcement, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services today announced a notice in the Federal Register requesting public comment on revisions to Form I-131, Request for Travel Document, in order to remove sections related to the Haitian Family Reunification Permit Program (HFRP) and the World War II Filipino Veterans Permit Program (FWVP).
The notice will be formally posted on December 28, and USCIS will accept public comment for 60 days. These changes will cancel the HFRP and FWVP programs when the changes to the form instructions are finalized.
USCIS is canceling these two categorical permit programs to be consistent with Executive Order 13767, titled Improvements to Border Security and Immigration Control, and to better ensure that the permit (“parole”) is used on a case-by-case basis only, consistent with section 212 (d) (5) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), and without predetermined criteria.
The temporary stay permit is a process that allows foreign nationals to temporarily enter or remain in the United States, including those who are otherwise inadmissible.
The temporary stay permit by category (known in English as “categorical parole”) refers to programs designed to consider the temporary stay permit for entire groups of foreigners based on predetermined criteria.
Under both categorical permit programs, relatives of aliens who have approved family-based petitions have been authorized to enter the United States and are eligible for employment authorization while they wait for their permanent resident card to be available.
“The temporary stay permit is to be used on a case-by-case basis, for urgent humanitarian reasons or of significant public benefit. With the cancellation of these category programs, any new applicant will be considered for a temporary stay permit according to the criteria that apply to any other foreigner seeking to obtain a temporary stay permit, ”said USCIS Deputy Director of Policy Joseph Edlow . “USCIS is committed to exercising this limited authority in a way that preserves the integrity of our immigration system.”
USCIS will process all pending cases under these programs until they are completed, as well as all new applications that are postmarked on or before the effective date of the new form instructions. USCIS will publish the effective date of this change as soon as the deadlines expire, which could be as early as February 2021.
People who currently have parolees will retain their current term until it expires, unless otherwise canceled. USCIS will issue individual case notifications to affected individuals who have temporary stay permits, to provide them with information about the program termination and remind them to provide their current mailing address, as required.
Certain individuals with temporary stay permits under HFRP or FWVP who are in the United States may be eligible to adjust their status in order to become lawful permanent residents. Those who have not adjusted their status can request that their temporary stay permit (known in English as “re-parole”) be renewed by filing Form I-131 and Form I-134.
Renewing the temporary stay permit allows the person who has such a permit to remain in the United States for an additional authorized period. USCIS will consider temporary stay permit renewal requests on a case-by-case basis under the terms of the HFRP and FWVP program. Additional information on how to apply for the temporary stay permit or the reissue of the temporary stay permit can be found on the HFRP and FWVP pages.
