USCIS may consider an emergency advance-parole request when an eligible person in the United States has an urgent need to travel. Obtain the proper document before departure. An emergency appointment request is not approval, and advance parole does not guarantee that CBP will permit parole or admission on return.
Confirm which document you need
A pending adjustment applicant, a permanent resident, and a person with another immigration classification may need different documents. Travel during a pending I-485 can cause abandonment unless the applicable rule or exception is satisfied. Review that issue before buying a ticket. [2]
An ordinary expedite request asks USCIS to accelerate an existing process. Emergency issuance through a field-office appointment is a different procedure. Do not assume a pending I-131 receipt alone permits travel.
Request the appointment through official channels
USCIS’s appointment system lists Emergency Advance Parole among the services for which people inside the country may request an appointment. The site also directs applicants to the Contact Center when online tools do not provide the needed help. [1]
Explain the actual emergency, intended travel date, and relevant immigration case. A critically ill relative or urgent medical treatment requires different evidence from a general preference to travel sooner.
Prepare a complete evidence package
- The appointment confirmation and identity documents.
- Evidence of eligibility, such as relevant status or pending-case records.
- A completed, signed Form I-131 and any required payment.
- Medical, death, relationship, or other evidence explaining the pressing need.
- Required photographs and certified English translations.
Official USCIS appointment materials identify eligibility evidence, proof of the emergency, relationship evidence where applicable, and the completed travel-document request. Follow the specific appointment and current form instructions for payment and documents. [3]
Before leaving, check validity dates, permitted entries, destination restrictions, and any independent inadmissibility or removal issue. See what a pending I-485 does and does not provide and ordinary I-131 processing after biometrics. Do not assume an emergency document repairs an unrelated status violation or safely resolves an existing removal order.
Primary sources
- USCIS: Appointment Requests
- 8 CFR 245.2: Travel During Adjustment
- USCIS: Emergency Appointment Evidence
Sources checked: October 31, 2026.