Re-Parole Process for Certain Afghans

 If you are an Afghan parolee and you apply for asylum or for adjustment of status (for a Green Card) before your initial parole period expires, and that application is still pending, you do not need to apply for re-parole under this streamlined process.

DHS recognizes that, in many cases, the urgent humanitarian reasons and significant public benefit that led to the original grant of parole for Afghan nationals due to the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan continue. Considering the time necessary for Afghan parolees seeking permanent status in the United States to accomplish the purpose of their parole and regularize their immigration status, DHS plans to consider them on a case-by-case basis for an extension of their initial parole period.

If DHS approves an extension of your initial parole period, we will also extend your original employment authorization validity dates. We will send a Form I-797C, Notice of Additional Action, to your last address of record with USCIS. This Form I-797C, together with your original Form I-766, Employment Authorization Document (EAD), will serve as proof of your extended employment authorization dates. If you receive notice that your initial parole period has been extended, and you would like an updated EAD that reflects your new employment authorization dates, you may file a new Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization, using category c(11). We will process your Form I-765 without a filing fee.

Resources for mental health and emotional support are available to Afghan nationals at the Office of Refugee Resettlement's Afghan Behavioral Health Support webpage.

This video provides an overview of the 1-year filing deadline to apply for asylum. Videos in Dari and Pashto are now available. 

To request re-parole under the streamlined application process for Afghan parolees, you must submit the following:

• Form I-131, Application for Travel Document, (completed and signed). We will apply an automatic fee exemption for the Form I-131 for eligible individuals.
  • You must be an Afghan national paroled initially or currently under an “OAR” or “PAR” class of admission. (Find your class of admission on your I-94 arrival/departure card or by going to cbp.gov.)
  • Select 1.e. in Part 2 to indicate you are seeking re-parole under the streamlined re-parole and employment authorization process for certain Afghan nationals.
  • If you are filing online, you must select the “Re-Parole” checkbox.
  • If you are also requesting an EAD if we approve a new period of parole, please select “Yes” in Part 8. If you select “Yes” to this question and we approve your re-parole request, we will automatically complete the necessary processing to generate an EAD without additional fees. Do not submit a separate Form I-765. If you submit Form I-765, we may reject your application or take longer to process it.
  • If you are helping a minor file for re-parole, select 1.e. in Part 2 and list the minor as the applicant. If you are also requesting an EAD for the minor if we approve their new period of parole, please select “Yes” in Part 8.
• A copy of an official government-issued identity document (ID) to confirm your identity that shows your photo, name, and date of birth. (See below for examples of acceptable ID.)

ALERT: If you (or your minor child) are an Afghan parolee seeking re-parole and requesting an EAD under this streamlined process, you must select 1.e. in Part 2 on the paper Form I-131. Please see below for examples demonstrating how to file for both online and paper filing:

To request fee-exempt re-parole, you must submit the following:

• Form I-131, Application for Travel Document (completed and signed). Starting July 12, 2023, we will accept the 06/06/23 E, 06/06/23, or 10/31/22 editions of Form I-131. However, effective Sept. 12, 2023, we will only accept the 06/06/23 E edition of Form I-131. We will reject the 06/06/23 and 10/31/22 editions of Form I-131 if postmarked on or after Sept. 12, 2023, . You can find the edition date at the bottom of the page on the form and instructions. We will apply an automatic fee exemption for Form I-131 for eligible self-filing individuals.
  • You must be an Afghan national initially or currently paroled under an “OAR” or “PAR” class of admission.
  • Select 1.e. in Part 2.
  • If you are filing by paper, you must handwrite “RE-PAROLE” at the top of the form.
  • If you are also requesting an EAD with a new period of parole, please select “Yes” in Part 8. Do not submit a separate Form I-765. If we approve your Form I-131 and you requested an EAD as part of your re-parole request, we will automatically complete the necessarily processing to generate an EAD without an additional fee.
  • If you are using the 10/31/22 edition of Form I-131 and requesting an EAD with a new period of parole, you must handwrite “OAW EAD” at the top of the form. Do not submit Form I-765. If we approve your Form I-131 and you requested an EAD as part of your re-parole request, we will automatically complete the necessary processing to generate an EAD without an additional fee.
• A copy of an official government-issued ID to confirm your identity that shows your photo, name, and date of birth. (See below for examples of acceptable ID.)

Whether you are applying for re-parole online or on paper, you will need to provide a copy of an official government-issued ID that shows your photo, name, and date of birth to confirm your identity. Examples include:

• Your current USCIS-issued EAD. Include copies of the front and back. It may be helpful to refer to your EAD when you are creating an online account to ensure consistency in your application;
• A government-issued driver’s license;
• A copy of the identity (biographical) page of your passport, with English translation; or
• A copy of your National Identification Card/Tazkira, with English translation.

If you submit any document containing foreign language to USCIS, you also must include a full English translation that the translator has certified as complete and accurate, as well as the translator’s certification that they are competent to translate from the foreign language into English.

There is no filing fee or biometric services fee for eligible Afghan parolees to request a new period of parole. If you request an EAD at the same time you request re-parole, there is no filing fee to request the EAD.

You will need a Social Security number for employment, to collect Social Security benefits, and to receive other government services. If you completed Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization, at a safe haven, such as while at a U.S. military base, and allowed USCIS to disclose your personal information, we have given information to the Social Security Administration so they can assign you a Social Security number and mail a Social Security card to your address on record. If you did not complete Form I-765 at a safe haven or did not answer “Yes” to both Item Number 14 and Item Number 15 allowing USCIS to disclose your personal information on the Form I-765 filed separately, you will need to apply for a Social Security number and card using the instructions at the Social Security Administration’s Request Social Security number for the first time webpage.

• Afghan Re-Parole FAQs
• CBP’s How to Access and Print Your Lawful Record of Admission (I-94 Form) (PDF)
• Employment Information for Afghans in the United States Updated Aug. 2023 (PDF)
• Employment Information for Afghans in the United States Updated Aug. 2023 (PDF) (Dari)
• Employment Information for Afghans in the United States Updated Aug. 2023 (PDF) (Pashto)