Learn About Keeping Families Together

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will hold two national stakeholder engagements, one in English and one in Spanish, on Keeping Families Together, a new process that will enable certain noncitizen spouses and stepchildren of U.S. citizens to apply for parole in place. During the engagements, we will provide information on the eligibility criteria for this process and how to apply. Noncitizen spouses and stepchildren who are granted parole in place through this process and who meet certain additional eligibility requirements may apply for lawful permanent residence based on their relationship to their U.S. citizen spouse or stepparent without being required to leave the United States.

What You Need to Know 
Eligibility criteria under Keeping Families Together:

• Noncitizen spouses must have a legally valid marriage to a U.S. citizen on or before June 17, 2024; be present in the United States without admission or parole; have been continuously physically present in the United States since at least June 17, 2014, through the date of filing the application for parole; not present a threat to public safety, national security, or border security; and meet certain other eligibility criteria, as well as demonstrate on a case-by-case basis urgent humanitarian reasons or significant public benefit to be considered for a discretionary grant of parole in place.
• Noncitizen stepchildren (unmarried, under the age of 21 as of June 17, 2024) must be present in the United States without admission or parole; have been continuously physically present in the United States since at least June 17, 2024, through the date of filing the application for parole; meet the statutory definition of a stepchild of a U.S. citizen based on their parent’s legally valid marriage to a U.S. citizen on or before June 17, 2024 (and before the child’s 18th birthday); not present a threat to public safety or national security; and meet certain other eligibility criteria to be considered for a discretionary grant of parole in place on a case-by-case basis for urgent humanitarian reasons or significant public benefit. 

Forms and Fees:

• Form I-131F. You must file Form I-131F, Application for Parole in Place for Certain Noncitizen Spouses and Stepchildren of U.S. Citizens (PDF, 9.33 MB), online through your myUSCIS account and pay a $580 filing fee. There is no paper form for this process. If you submit a request by mail using a paper application, your request will be rejected (not approved or receipted). A fee waiver is not currently available for Form I-131F under this process.
• Employment Authorization. If you are granted parole under this process, you may file Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization. You cannot file Form I-765 and Form I-131F at the same time. If you file Form I-765 on paper, the filing fee is $520. If you file Form I-765 online, the filing fee is $470. A fee waiver is available for Form I-765 for those who qualify.

To request a disability accommodation to participate in USCIS’ engagements, email us at public.engagement@uscis.dhs.gov by 5 p.m. Eastern, Aug. 16 and put in the subject line, “Aug. 19 parole in place engagement in English” or “Aug. 19 parole in place engagement in Spanish.”

Note to media:

This webinar is not for press purposes. Please contact the USCIS Press Office at media@uscis.dhs.gov for any media inquiries