On September 28, 2023, the Office of the Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman (CIS Ombudsman) sent out this stakeholder message:
We have posted a new tip sheet on the Afghan re-parole process to help Afghans who were paroled into the United States learn about how to apply for re-parole and employment authorization.
Key points in the tip sheet
- A three-question flow chart to help you decide what steps to take next, including:
- What process applies to you if you have already applied for re-parole, a Green Card, asylum, or Temporary Protected Status
- Whether you need to separately request an employment authorization document (EAD)
- Whether you need to pay a filing fee
- Updated information about how to update your class of admission with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), if needed
- A table with key steps for requesting re-parole and an EAD online or by mail, including how to answer certain questions on the form
We will post the tip sheet in Dari and Pashto in the near future.
Is this information different from what USCIS has shared about the process?
No. To help Afghan parolees better understand the re-parole request process, this tip sheet organizes key points that USCIS has shared on its website, in its announcements, and during a joint webinar with our office. We also included information based on feedback from stakeholders about common questions Afghan parolees have about the re-parole process. We hope that the tip sheet will be a useful resource for you.
Reminder to update your address with USCIS
If you have a pending request with USCIS and have moved to a new address, please immediately update your address with USCIS. Changing your address with the U.S. Postal Service or another U.S. government agency will not change your address with USCIS.
For employers
On August 18, USCIS posted A Quick Guide to Support The Afghan Workforce about how employers can verify an Afghan parolee’s employment authorization for the Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification.
More Information
For more information on the Afghan re-parole process, see USCIS’ June 9, 2023 web alert and its Re-Parole Process for Certain Afghans and Afghan Re-Parole FAQs pages. USCIS recently updated both pages. For information about other immigration options available for Afghans, please see USCIS’ Information for Afghan Nationals page.
You can also see the readout and presentation from our June 27, 2023 webinar on the re-parole process that included representatives from USCIS and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Refugee Resettlement.
The CIS Ombudsman is dedicated to assisting individuals and employers seeking to resolve problems with USCIS. You can read our recommendations for how USCIS can manage its growing humanitarian workload, such as Afghan re-parole, in our 2023 Annual Report to Congress.