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Immigration

Parole in place for military families

For the husband, wife, widow(er), parent, son or daughter of someone who serves, or served, in the U.S. armed forces, and who came into the country without being inspected.

A request to be paroled where you already are, so you can ask for a green card without leaving the United States.

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Primary form

I-131

The form at the center of your case

Is this you?

A quick check, before we talk.

Tick anything that sounds like your situation. It's just for you — nothing is saved or sent.
Statements that may describe your situation

5 statements. Tick the ones that describe you.

Only a consultation can confirm eligibility. This is general information, not legal advice.

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How it works

A clear path, start to finish.

The same five-step method, applied to your case.

  1. Confirm the military connection

    Parole in place runs through the armed forces: active duty, the Selected Reserve of the Ready Reserve, or someone who served before and was not dishonorably discharged — living or deceased. We confirm the service and your relationship first.

  2. Check how you entered

    Parole in place is only for people who were never admitted. If you came in on a visa and overstayed, you are not eligible for it, but deferred action may be open to military families instead. We tell you which one applies to you.

  3. Gather service and family proof

    Usually the service member's DD Form 214, NGB Form 22 or military ID, plus a marriage or birth certificate and DEERS enrollment. A parent also needs to show that the service member supports the request.

  4. Form I-131

    File the request

    We prepare the request with photographs and everything that shows why your case deserves a favorable exercise of discretion. Parole in place is decided case by case and granted in one-year periods, and it can be requested again.

  5. Forms I-130 and I-485

    Plan the green card step

    Parole in place is not a status and not a green card. What it can do is meet the "inspected and paroled" requirement, so we map out the family petition and the green card application that would follow.

Fixed fee

What your fixed fee covers.

One fee, agreed in writing before we begin. Nothing hidden.

Included

In your fee

  • Checking eligibility, including how and when you entered the country
  • Confirming the military service and the family relationship
  • Preparing and filing the parole-in-place request on Form I-131
  • Assembling the evidence that supports a favorable decision
  • Explaining the green card steps that can follow, and what each involves

Not included

Billed separately

  • The family petition and green card application, quoted separately
  • Obtaining military or vital records held by another agency
  • Translation of documents that are not in English
  • Immigration-court representation, if you are in removal proceedings

Government and court fees are set by the agency, not by us, and change from time to time. Current USCIS amounts are published at uscis.gov/fees.

Come prepared

What to bring to your consultation.

Bring what you have. If something's missing, we'll tell you how to get it.
  • Proof of the military service: DD Form 214, NGB Form 22, or a military ID card
  • Your marriage certificate or birth certificate, showing the relationship
  • Proof of DEERS enrollment, if you have it
  • Anything that shows how and when you entered the United States
  • Any immigration notices or court paperwork you have received

Questions

Frequently asked.

Service members themselves, and the spouse, widow(er), parent, son or daughter of someone on active duty, in the Selected Reserve of the Ready Reserve, or who served before and was not dishonorably discharged. The service member may be living or deceased.

That was a separate process called Keeping Families Together. A federal court vacated it on Nov. 7, 2024, and USCIS stopped taking and deciding those requests. The military parole in place on this page is a different, long-standing process and was not affected.

No. Parole in place is only for people who were never admitted. Military families in that situation may be able to request deferred action instead, which USCIS grants for up to two years at a time.

No. It is temporary permission to be here, given case by case, and DHS can end it at any time. What it can do is satisfy one requirement for adjusting status, so a green card application becomes possible without leaving the country.

Parole in place is not by itself permission to work. People granted parole apply for a work permit separately, and we explain what that involves in your case.

USCIS grants military parole in place in one-year periods. You can ask again — the form has its own box for re-parole — and each request is decided on its own.

Next step

Ready to talk about your parole in place case? We’ll take it from there.

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