Fact Sheet: Resources for CHNV Parolees, December 2024
This fact sheet is designed to help CHNV supporters and parolees best understand how the program is currently working and how to prepare for likely changes to it next year.
The parole processes that make up the CHNV program have been available to Venezuelans since October 2022 and to Haitians, Cubans, and Nicaraguans since January 2023. As of the end of October 2024, 110,240 Cubans, 211,010 Haitians, 93,070 Nicaraguans, and 117,310 Venezuelans, all of whom had supporters in the United States, received travel authorization, made arrangements to fly to a U.S. airport, and were granted parole by an officer there. On October 4, 2024, the Biden administration announced that there would be no re-parole process for the CHNV parolees. But individuals who came in through the CHNV program can still apply for other forms of relief for which they are eligible, including Temporary Protected Status, asylum, adjustment to legal permanent resident status (through an available family or employment visa) or reparole (on a limited case by case basis). This is important to do now because the incoming Trump administration has taken aim at the CHNV program.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. What would an end of the CHNV processes mean?
It will most likely mean that it will no longer be possible for supporters in the United States to initiate an application for a CHNV national. Likely, submitted but not-yet processed applications will no longer be considered by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
It may mean that airlines will no longer honor travel authorizations. Those CHNV beneficiaries who land in U.S. airports could be subject to detention and removal proceedings rather than be considered for parole.
For those already paroled in the United States, DHS could terminate individual paroles or it could allow paroles to expire. About 5,000 Venezuelan, about 5,000 Nicaraguan, and over 10,000 Haitian paroles will expire each month beginning in early 2025, and, unless they have applied for or acquired another status, former parolees would lose their legal permission to be in the United States and their authority to work in the United States associated with their parole (and any benefits and services they were eligible to receive as Cuban or Haitian parolees). They could be subject to removal.
Q. What are steps that CHNV parolees and their supporters can take?
USCIS is still processing CHNV applications and issuing travel authorizations. Especially if you are trying to unite immediate family members, you should still apply. If you are or have been issued a travel authorization, make arrangements to arrive in the United States before January 20. If you cannot do so, be sure to have your supporter request an extension of time for your travel authorization. A supporter may submit a request for a 90-day travel authorization extension to USCIS within thirty days of when your travel authorization will or has expired.
Parolees can apply for a status to remain legally in the United States.
If you are Venezuelan and entered the United States on or before July 31, 2023 or if you are Haitian and entered the United States on or before June 3, 2024, you should apply for TPS and associated work authorization.
If you are a Cuban parolee, you can apply for lawful permanent resident status through the Cuban Adjustment Act (CAA) if you have been physically present in the United States for at least one year.
If you are any of the CHNV nationalities, you should consult with an attorney about what relief is available to you in the United States, especially asylum, a visa, or a green card. Usually you must apply for asylum within one year of when you arrive in the United States. There is an exception to this one year deadline for people who have maintained lawful status that applies to CHNV parolees. Depending on circumstances or family and employment in the United States, some CHNV parolees may be eligible to apply for a temporary visa or adjust to permanent residency status.
If you are considering leaving the United States, you should also talk to an attorney about what this would mean and what is required to obtain status elsewhere. Canada, for example, recently added limits to asylum eligibility for those who previously had been in the United States.
Q: What are some resources for CHNV parolees and where can they turn for help and advice?
Available resources include:
Asylum Seeker Advocacy Project post Election resources page: https://help.asylumadvocacy.org/after-election/
Finding legal advice near where you live: https://www.immigrationadvocates.org/legaldirectory/
How to apply for TPS: TPS Application Training
Welcome.US guide for humanitarian parole supporters