There has been an increase in the number of DACA recipients who are seeking to leave the U.S. under advance parole in order to legally re-enter the U.S. and get on the fast track to citizenship.
Advance parole was originally reserved for “urgent humanitarian reasons” but the Obama administration expanded the grounds for advance parole approval to include educational, employment or humanitarian purposes.
This allows any DACA recipient to gain advance parole then take a semester abroad or claim they have an interview, conference, or training overseas and upon their return will be paroled back into the U.S. and is thereby eligible to adjust to legal permanent resident status. The person can then receive full citizenship after five years.
President-elect Trump has said he would end Pres. Obama’s executive amnesty but has been unclear what he would do with the 740,000 illegal aliens who have received protection from deportation and a work permit under the DACA program. Recently he has has said he would “work something out” with DACA recipients.
“Because of the possibility of DACA’s cancellation I have presented the option of travel to many clients,” said Ana Schwartz, an immigration attorney in Houston. In addition to giving them a legal entry, she said, “it also might be their last chance to leave the country legally.”
The increase in those applying for advance parole has caused longer than average wait times for application approval. Though a spokesman for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services said processing time for the applications remained within the “goal of 90 days.”
A recent USCIS letter confirmed that as of Dec. 31, 2015, 2,994 DACA recipients have been approved for “adjustment of status” allowing them to receive green cards through the advanced parole program.
Read more on this story at The Wall Street Journal.
