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As of October 16, 2025, any foreign person who receives a temporary entry or stay permit in the United States - known as "parole" - will be required to pay a mandatory fee of $1,000.
This is established by a new directive from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), published in the Federal Register and signed by Secretary Kristi Noem.
The measure, which has a profound impact on the migrant community, responds to provisions contained in the recent HR-1 Act (The One Big Beautiful Bill Act), promoted by the Trump administration.
What is "parole" and who uses it?
The immigration "parole" is a legal concept that allows the Department of Homeland Security to authorize the entry or temporary stay of foreign individuals in the United States for "urgent humanitarian reasons or significant public benefit."
It is not a legal admission to the country, but rather a temporary and discretionary permit that may be granted:
-At entry ports (by the Customs and Border Protection –CBP– Office).
-To individuals detained or already within the country (by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement – ICE – or by USCIS itself).
This mechanism has been crucial for Cuban, Haitian, Venezuelan, and Nicaraguan migrants, particularly under the "humanitarian parole" program implemented by the Biden administration.
The new regulation imposes a charge of $1,000 on those who obtain a "parole," whether for the first time or for renewal (re-parole). The payment will be required once the application is approved, and not at the time of submission.
USCIS explains it this way:
“USCIS will charge the immigration fee for the temporary stay permit if you are physically in the United States and we grant you the temporary stay permit or a new period of the temporary stay permit (also known as the renewal of the temporary stay permit or, in English, ‘re-parole’).”
The notice also clarifies that:
"The notification will include payment instructions and a deadline. We will not grant you permission [...] unless you pay the fee according to the instructions and within the specified timeframe."
The fee will apply in all cases: initial parole requests, renewals, parole in place, or even those granted to individuals in the custody of DHS.
To process the application, the I-131 Form (Application for Travel Document) will continue to be used, as it has been previously.
However, the previous fee ranged from 580 to 630 USD, depending on the shipping method. Now, an additional payment of 1,000 USD is added after approval.
Legal basis: The “One Big Beautiful Bill Act”
The fee originates from Law HR-1, commonly referred to as The One Big Beautiful Bill Act, approved on July 4, 2025.
This regulation modified multiple government programs and created new immigration rates in order to:
"Fund border control and legal immigration programs, and reduce the dependency of the immigration system on the state budget and American taxpayers."
The amount may be adjusted annually according to the Consumer Price Index (CPI).
Ten exceptions to payment
The regulation provides for ten cases in which the fee will not apply. Among them are:
-Medical emergencies or treatments that are inaccessible in the country of origin.
-Parents or guardians of minors in that situation.
-Organ donors for urgent reasons.
-Visits to dying relatives or attendance at funerals.
- Urgent medical adoptions.
-Applicants for status adjustment after a trip.
Participation in migration hearings from neighboring countries.
-Persons granted status as "Cuban or Haitian entrants" under the 1980 Act.
- Cases of cooperation with authorities, such as witnesses or informants.
How does it affect Cubans?
According to the legal section of the independent outlet elTOQUE, Cubans who have already obtained humanitarian parole will not have to pay the new fee.
There are two key legal foundations:
1. No retroactivity: The regulation comes into effect on October 16, 2025, and does not affect applications or permits granted before that date.
"As a general principle, laws do not apply to events that occurred before their enactment. This is no exception," points out elTOQUE.
2. Exemption for "incoming Cubans"
The directive recognizes as exempt those referred to as "incoming Cubans," in accordance with section 501(e) of the Refugee Education Assistance Act of 1980.
That category includes any Cuban who has been admitted under parole and who does not have a final order of deportation or has not acquired another immigration status.
The term 'incoming Cuban' refers to any person who applies for parole to enter the United States and does not have a prior deportation or removal order.
This means that beneficiaries of the CHNV humanitarian program (Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans), as well as Cuban migrants who have entered through the southern border using the CBP One app, would be covered by this exemption, as long as they qualify as "incoming Cubans."
And what about non-Cuban relatives?
A concerning point emerges for the dependents of Cuban citizens: spouses or children of another nationality who are also seeking family parole would not be automatically exempt from payment.
“Although the Cuban Adjustment Act allows the dependents […] of the applicant to also regularize their immigration status regardless of their nationality, the exception outlined in the new directive does not seem to extend the same protection to them,” warns elTOQUE.
This could mean a significant additional cost for many Cuban families undergoing reunification.
The implementation of this fee comes amid numerous allegations of fraud related to humanitarian parole, the misuse of public funds, and potential human trafficking networks.
It also coincides with a broader context of tightening immigration policies, marked by attempts to restrict the Cuban Adjustment Act, in effect since 1966.
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