The Office of the Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman has issued its Recommendation to USCIS regarding a U visa parole policy. The policy would facilitate parole for individuals who are eligible for U nonimmigrant visa status and who reside outside of the U.S. The development of such a parole policy would comply with USCIS’ regulatory mandate, address the humanitarian concerns of principals and beneficiaries residing abroad, and would streamline adjudications of parole requests. The Ombudsman recommends that:
- USCIS should afford parole to eligible U visa petitioners on the waiting list who reside abroad by creating a policy to facilitate entry into the United States while waiting for a visa to become available.
- The parole policy should allow for concurrent filings of the U visa petitions and requests for parole.
- Cases should be adjudicated at the Vermont Service Center, where U visa petitions are currently processed, to ensure consistent and effective adjudication.
USCIS will provide a response to the Ombudsman’s Recommendation within 3 months. To read more about the Ombudsman’s recommendations, please visit the following link: https://www.dhs.gov/publication/ombudsman-recommendation-parole-eligible-u-visa-principal-and-derivative-petitioners
Rachel is an Intern with the firm and is not a practicing attorney.
