A humanitarian visa can also be referred as humanitarian parole or commonly known as emergency visa. This kind of visa is granted for urgent humanitarian reasons to people who would otherwise not be able to enter the United States. These people also find themselves in a sensitive situation and are granted temporary entry to the country.
Humanitarian parole in the US is not a permanent immigration status and it rarely lasts a period longer than one year. The Department of Homeland Security states that any individual who is outside the United States can apply or request an emergency visa to the USA based on humanitarian reasons or significant public benefit reasons.
As observed by immigration services in the United States anyone is eligible to file an application. This includes the person who is seeking the humanitarian parole, officially known as the petitioner, a sponsoring family member, an attorney or an organization can apply.
Anyone who requests parole must file the Form I-131. The United States uses its discretion to authorize parole, therefore the requirements might vary depending on the petitioner’s situation. What is certain however is that additional documentation will have to be provided to support the case.
A USCIS officer will evaluate each application along with the evidence provided. This kind of emergency visas to the United States are treated on a case-by-case basis. All circumstances and possible threats are taken into consideration.
The petitioner should present proof that he or she qualifies for humanitarian parole. Based on the evidence provided parole will be granted or denied.
In conclusion, whether you qualify or not will be determined by the officer that reviews your case. People who apply for the humanitarian parole are those who live in countries that are not part of the 39 countries in the Visa Waiver Program. If your country is part of this program it is easier and simpler to apply for the ESTA by filling out an online form.
Please note that there is no statutory or regulatory definition for “urgent humanitarian reasons”. Some factors that are looked at are:
It is encouraged that when a person applies for a humanitarian visa, the appropriate evidence is submitted to support their reasons for making this request. Below you can find some types of parole requests that are taken into account to grant this emergency visa.
Humanitarian parole for urgent medical cases can be requested. The evidence offered should be official when applicable, for instance, documents should come from a hospital or a doctor’s office, be current and dated and a real signature from a doctor should appear in the documents instead of a stamp.
As a rule, a humanitarian parole for family cases are not granted to simply reunite a family. Even though family separation is difficult, parole will be granted only if there is a pressing reason or a significant public benefit for the petitioner.
USCIS officers have the power to determine who is a family member. In some cases for example, a child from a same-sex marriage would be considered a family member, especially is the petitioner of parole comes from a country where same-sex marriage is illegal or punished by law.
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