The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has introduced a new $1,000 immigration parole fee for migrants seeking temporary entry or stay in the country, effective October 16, 2025. The fee applies to individuals requesting or extending parole, a process that allows people to remain in the U.S. without a visa for humanitarian or public interest reasons. Parole provides temporary lawful admission in exceptional circumstances but does not grant immigration status.
The new fee will be applied to all cases under Section 212(d)(5)(A) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, covering extensions of existing parole, new parole for individuals already in the U.S., and releases from Department of Homeland Security (DHS) custody. It will be collected by three DHS branches — USCIS, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and Customs and Border Protection (CBP). The $1,000 charge, called the “One Big Beautiful Bill” fee, is in addition to other filing or biometric fees and does not replace any current costs. Applicants are not required to pay upfront; instead, USCIS will notify them once payment is due after determining eligibility. The agency stated that parole will not be granted unless the fee is paid within the specified time frame.
Those required to pay include migrants seeking initial or renewed parole for humanitarian or public interest purposes, noncitizen family members of U.S. service members seeking to remain legally in the country, and individuals released from DHS custody under parole. However, the rule provides exemptions for certain groups, including people already lawfully in the United States who are not requesting parole, witnesses or informants assisting in legal investigations, and individuals granted parole for life-saving or emergency medical reasons. USCIS indicated that fee waivers would be approved only in extreme circumstances involving immediate danger or urgent medical evacuations.
The introduction of the parole fee is part of a broader DHS effort to streamline costs and make the system more self-sustaining, ensuring that applicants rather than taxpayers bear the administrative burden. Critics, however, argue that the new charge could create an additional barrier for vulnerable migrants, particularly those fleeing violence, political persecution, or conflict zones. Immigration experts warn that the policy may significantly affect humanitarian parole programs that have offered temporary refuge to groups such as Afghans, Ukrainians, Venezuelans, and Cubans in recent years.