Below is an example of a Family Reunification Parole invitation letter. If you receive this letter you are eligible to apply to bring your family member with an approved I-130 visa petition to the U.S. to wait for their visa in the U.S. See the Family Reunification Parole Post for more info.
Requesting Your USCIS Interview Be Rescheduled If you have been scheduled for an interview or other appointment at an office of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), it’s in your best interest to attend on the date and time given. For one thing, assuming you’re seeking an immigration benefit, you could find yourself waiting weeks or months longer until the next available appointment. For another thing, it’s possible that your eligibility for what you seek will be lost in the intervening time. For information about rescheduling of a Biometrics Appointment see this post. There are times when someone simply cannot make their interview date. In that case, you’ll want to take steps to reschedule ahead of time. You’ll want to act quickly and make your request as soon as possible. You do not want to simply not show up to the interview. If you fail to appear USCIS will likely consider your application to be “abandoned.” Any USCIS appointment notice will contain contact information and procedures for rescheduling. You should always follow any specific procedures for rescheduling that are in the notice you received. Accomodations If you don’t need to reschedule but you need to request accommodations you can request those online by submitting an e-request. If You Are Feeling Sick The USCIS website states that if you feel sick then you should cancel your appointment and you will not be penalized for doing so. You can see that information at https://www.uscis.gov/about-us/find-a-uscis-office/if-you-feel-sick-do-not-come-to-your-uscis-appointment-please-cancel-and-reschedule-it. How to Request Your Interview be Rescheduled You can request your interview be rescheduled online, by phone, or through the mail. If you submit a request by mail you should follow-up by phone if you don’t receive a response prior to your interview date. Through myUSCIS (best way) To reschedule your appointment using the online tool you should log-in to your myUSCIS account online and follow the instructions. This is the best way to reschedule. You can speak with the USCIS virtual assistant (Emma) and ask that your biometrics appointment be rescheduled. By Phone Call the USCIS Contact Center at 800-375-5283 (TTY 800-767-1833) from Monday to Friday, 8 am to 8pm Eastern time. Provide the customer service representative with your: The Contact Center representative will create a request to reschedule your interview in the system. It can take several weeks to process the request. Mail To contact USCIS by mail, send your request to the USCIS field office where the interview was scheduled to take place. In your request, include:
If I file Form I-360, Petition for Amerasian, Widow(er), or Special Immigrant, as a special immigrant juvenile (SIJ), will USCIS make a deferred action assessment at the same time as the Form I-360 assessment? For most pending and future SIJ cases, USCIS will automatically make a deferred action determination immediately after we approve Form I-360, Petition for Amerasian, Widow(er), or Special Immigrant. This is similar to the process to consider deferred action for self-petitioners under the Violence Against Women Act. After we adjudicate Form I-360 and deferred action, we will issue a Form I-797, Notice of Action, that includes information about the decision on the Form I-360 and a determination on deferred action. In certain cases, the deferred action determination may take place after we approve the Form I-360 because USCIS needs additional information to make a decision. In these cases, you will receive notification of the deferred action determination separately from the Form I-360 approval. If you have an approved SIJ Form I-360, but you become newly eligible for consideration of deferred action due to a visa retrogression, we will consider deferred action for your case. You do not need to make a separate request for deferred action, and if you do, we will not accept it. After we decide whether to grant deferred action, we will issue an amended Form I-797, Notice of Action, that includes information about the original grant of SIJ classification and our determination on deferred action. What is the timeline for granting deferred action? USCIS began making deferred action determinations on May 6, 2022, 60 days after publishing the Policy Manual update announcing the SIJ deferred action policy. Processing times may vary depending on the circumstances of the case. If you grant deferred action, and I file Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization, how long will you take to adjudicate my Form I-765? USCIS will try to adjudicate all benefit requests in a timely manner. We adjudicate Forms I-765 submitted after a grant of SIJ deferred action in the order we receive them. For more information on processing times for Form I-765, please see egov.uscis.gov/processing-times/i765. If you already granted me SIJ, can I be considered for deferred action? Yes. If you have an approved SIJ-based Form I-360, and you cannot apply to adjust your status (get a Green Card) because you do not have a current visa number, we will consider you for deferred action if we have not already. You do not need to take any action or ask us to start this process. I am an SIJ-classified noncitizen with a pending Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status, and I no longer have a current visa number due to a visa retrogression. Will you consider me for deferred action? Yes. If you applied for adjustment of status when a visa number was available or when we were accepting Form I-485 based on the “Dates for Filing” chart of the Visa Bulletin, we will consider you for deferred action if the Visa Bulletin subsequently retrogressed and your Form I-485 is still pending. I received a Form I-360 approval with no corresponding deferred action decision, and there is no apparent reason for delay. Can you explain why this might happen and what I can do to receive deferred action? As of May 6, 2022, we are considering deferred action when we adjudicate Form I-360 for all pending and future SIJ-based Form I-360 petitioners who do not have a current visa number available. Generally, we will issue a deferred action determination together with our decision on Form I-360. However, if we need additional information, which may include requesting biometrics, to make the deferred action determination, we may issue a decision on Form I-360 first. If my Form I-360 was approved or pending before the new deferred action process, how do I apply for deferred action? We will automatically make initial deferred action determinations for approved SIJs who cannot apply for adjustment of status solely because an immigrant visa number is not immediately available. You do not need to submit a separate request for deferred action; if you do, we will not accept it. We will consider deferred action on a case-by-case basis to determine whether you warrant a favorable decision. Do I need to submit biometric information to receive an SIJ deferred action determination? We generally do not require a separate biometrics submission to grant SIJ deferred action. However, we complete background and security checks when we adjudicate an SIJ petition and, depending on the facts and circumstances of your case, we may ask you to submit biometrics or to appear for an interview before we grant deferred action. See 8 CFR 103.2(b)(9). Are there factors you consider for deferred action that are not already part of the Form I-360 adjudication? Deferred action is a temporary, favorable exercise of discretion that gives some cases lower priority for immigration enforcement action. We examine the totality of the circumstances in an individual case and weigh positive and negative factors to determine whether to grant deferred action. If you have been approved for SIJ classification, that is a strong positive factor toward granting deferred action. If background and security checks indicate you may be inadmissible under INA 212(a) on a ground that cannot be waived and that would make you ineligible for SIJ-based adjustment of status, that would generally be a strong negative factor against granting deferred action. We may decide, on a case-by-case basis, that other adverse factors weigh against granting deferred action, such as serious unresolved criminal charges that may result in an unwaivable inadmissibility ground that would render you ineligible for SIJ-based adjustment of status. We may also grant deferred action despite these concerns if case-specific circumstances warrant it. What evidence will you rely on when considering deferred action? We will weigh positive and negative factors on a case-by-case basis to determine whether to grant deferred action. An approved SIJ petition is a particularly strong positive discretionary factor. We will not issue a … Read more
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS REGARDING Family Reunification Parole (FRP)
The family reunification parole (FRP) processes are available by invitation only to certain petitioners who filed an approved Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative, on behalf of a principal beneficiary who is a national of Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, or Honduras, and their immediate family members. These processes allow an eligible beneficiary to be considered for parole into the United States only on a case-by-case basis while they wait for their family-based immigrant visa to become available. Emails start going out JULY 31, 2023. They won’t all go out at once and not everyone will get one. For more info you can visit www.uscis.gov/FRP NOTE: You must receive an invitation to submit Form I-134A on behalf of a family member under the FRP processes for Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras. If you submit Form I-134A without receiving an invitation, we will not confirm your Form I-134A. Invitations to participate in these processes are sent by email or mail to certain petitioners whose Form I-130 is already approved. Petitioners who receive invitations can file Form I-134A, Online Request to be a Supporter and Declaration of Financial Support, for principal and derivative beneficiaries of the Form I-130. A separate Form I-134A must be submitted for each beneficiary. If USCIS confirms the sufficiency of a petitioner’s Form I-134A, DHS will complete security vetting on each beneficiary and will consider each beneficiary for advance travel authorization on a case-by-case basis. If advance travel authorization is issued to the beneficiary, they will be able to come to an internal U.S. port of entry to seek a discretionary grant of parole. If granted parole, they may wait in the United States for their immigrant visa to become available and then apply to adjust status to that of a lawful permanent resident, if they are eligible. Individuals who are paroled into the United States under these processes may request employment authorization upon arrival in the United States. Family Reunification Parole FAQ’s
After you file your application, petition, or request, we will schedule your biometric services appointment at a local Application Support Center (ASC) if you need to provide your fingerprints, photograph, and/or signature. We have the general authority to require and collect biometrics from any applicant, petitioner, sponsor, beneficiary, or other individual residing in the United States for any immigration and naturalization benefit. See 8 CFR 103.2 (b)(9). Your appointment notice (Form I-797C, Notice of Action) will include the date, time, and location for your ASC appointment. The biometrics you provide during your ASC appointment allow us to confirm your identity and run required background and security checks. You may obtain a copy of your own FBI identification record using the procedures outlined in 28 CFR 16.32. The procedures to change, correct, or update your FBI identification record are outlined in 28 CFR 16.34. For additional information, please visit the Identity History Summary Checks and Privacy Act Statement pages on the FBI’s website. WHAT TO BRING TO YOUR FINGERPRINT APPOINTMENT Your attorney or an accredited representative does not need to go with you to the biometrics (“fingerprints”) appointment, even if they submitted your application, petition, or request to USCIS. Your notice will provide specific instructions on what you should bring to your ASC appointment. You must also bring: We recommend that you print or save a copy of your completed application, petition, or request for your records. We also recommend that you review this copy before you come to your ASC appointment. We cannot provide you with a copy at your appointment. Rescheduling Appointments If you are unable to attend your scheduled biometric services appointment for good cause, you may request to reschedule your appointment by calling the USCIS Contact Center at 800-375-5283 (TTY 800-767-1833). You must make your request before the date and time of the original appointment, and you must establish good cause for rescheduling. If you fail to call before your scheduled appointment or fail to establish good cause, USCIS may not reschedule your ASC appointment. If we do not reschedule your appointment, we will consider your application, petition, or request abandoned and, as a result, it may be denied. If you need to change your address, please follow the instructions provided on our website. If you have a serious ongoing medical condition and you cannot leave your home/hospital, you may request a mobile biometrics/homebound appointment by following the instructions in the Notice for People with Disabilities section of your appointment notice. If you need to reschedule your appointment because you feel sick please follow the instructions above. CONTACTING USCIS TO RESCHEDULE YOUR APPOINTMENT If you are unable to attend your appointment for any reason you MUST contact USCIS to reschedule your appointment to avoid delaying or harming your immigration case. You can do this online by using the USCIS website to make a Service Request but you should also call the toll free number (1-800-375-5283) to reschedule in addition to doing it online. For general information and to find the ASC closest to you, see the USCIS Service and Office Locator webpage. You can also call the USCIS Contact Center at 800-375-5283 (TTY 800-767-1833). Representatives are available to help in English and Spanish. After submitting a service request online you should print or save a copy of the confirmation page showing you submitted a request and the confirmation number of your request. It is important that you write down your Service Request Number and the name and identification number of the USCIS representative that you speak to when you call. If they don’t automatically provide you with that information, which they should, then you should ask them for it. USCIS will often mark you down as failing to appear if you call to reschedule too soon before the appointment, but if you have this proof that you did reschedule then it will not be a problem and they will simply reschedule the appointment or tell you that you can go any time in the next two weeks. INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR LOCAL SERVICE CENTER You can find information about the Service Center location that you have been scheduled to appear at for your biometrics appointment by searching the USCIS Service and Office Locator. Source: USCIS Tips For Preparing for Your Biometrics Appointment