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Advance parole (Form I-131): the fee and the travel rules

Advance parole, a reentry permit and most other travel documents on Form I-131 cost $630 under 8 CFR 106.2(a)(7)(iii); refugee travel documents cost $165 (age 16 or older) or $135. Under 8 CFR 245.2(a)(4)(ii), leaving the US while an adjustment application is pending is treated as abandoning it unless advance parole was granted first and the person was inspected on return.

People searching "I-131 advance parole" usually want two answers: what it costs and whether travel is safe while a green card application is pending. The first has a number in the regulation. The second turns on facts about one person's case, and no web page can settle it. What a page can do is set out what the rules say, so that the question put to an attorney or accredited representative is a sharp one.

This page uses 8 CFR 106.2 (fees), 8 CFR Part 223 (travel documents), 8 CFR 245.2(a)(4) (the effect of leaving the country on a pending adjustment application) and 8 CFR 212.7(e) (the provisional waiver exception), all read on 9 October 2026. It does not say whether you should travel, which document you need, or whether a trip is low-risk. Those are legal judgments about your facts.

One point of confusion first. Form I-131 is a single form used for several different documents. The fee depends on which document is requested, and one of the lines USCIS is raising on 16 October 2026 (the "immigration parole fee") is a different charge from the advance parole fee covered here.

The I-131 fees in the regulation

8 CFR 106.2(a)(7) sets the fees for Form I-131, Application for Travel Document:

| Document requested | Fee | Where it is written | |---|---|---| | Advance parole, reentry permit and other travel documents | $630 | 8 CFR 106.2(a)(7)(iii) | | Refugee travel document, asylee or asylee-based permanent resident, age 16 or older | $165 | 106.2(a)(7)(i) | | Refugee travel document, under 16 | $135 | 106.2(a)(7)(ii) | | Carrier documentation (Form I-131A), for a person whose approved travel document was lost | $575 | 106.2(a)(8) |

No fee at all in three cases written into the same paragraph:

  • the applicant filed Form I-485 on or after 30 July 2007 and before 1 April 2024, paid the I-485 fee, and the I-485 is still pending (106.2(a)(7)(iv));
  • a request for parole from a current or former member of the US armed forces (106.2(a)(7)(v)); and
  • the humanitarian categories in 8 CFR 106.3(b), which list the I-131 among forms that are exempt for refugees, people granted special immigrant juvenile status, T and U nonimmigrants, VAWA self-petitioners, certain Afghan and Iraqi special immigrants, and a few others.

Online filing. Under 8 CFR 106.1(g), forms filed online cost $50 less than the 106.2 amount. For the I-131 the regulation carves out the two refugee travel document lines: "The discount in section 106.1(g) does not apply to paragraphs (a)(7)(i) and (ii)." Read together, that points to $580 for an online advance-parole filing, if the form can be filed online on the day you file. Whether it can is shown on the USCIS form page and the G-1055 fee schedule, which are the documents to check before paying.

A separate "parole fee" is rising on 16 October 2026. USCIS's FY2027 inflation notice lists four changes for requests postmarked on or after that date: the annual asylum fee ($102 to $105), the Form I-131 "Immigration Parole Fee" ($1,020 to $1,050), the initial I-765 for asylum applicants, parolees and TPS ($560 to $570), and the I-821 for TPS ($510 to $520). The notice says that "Any request postmarked on or after Oct. 16, 2026 without the proper filing fee will be rejected." The $630 advance-parole line in 106.2(a)(7)(iii) does not appear in that list, and the $1,020 figure does not appear in the 106.2(a)(7) text. Which charge applies to a given I-131 depends on the kind of parole requested. The G-1055 schedule and the form instructions say which.

What each travel document is

Part 223 separates three documents, and the choice between them is not interchangeable.

Reentry permit. 8 CFR 223.1(a): it "allows a permanent resident to apply for admission to the United States upon return from abroad during the period of the permit's validity without the necessity of obtaining a returning resident visa." Under 223.2(b)(1) the application must be filed "while in the United States and in status as a lawful permanent resident or conditional permanent resident." The permit is valid for 2 years from issue (223.3(a)(1)), with a one-year limit for someone who has been outside the US more than four years in the aggregate since becoming a resident or in the last five years, whichever is less, subject to listed exceptions (223.2(c)(2)). A reentry permit "may not be extended" (223.3(c)). And 223.3(d)(1) says a resident holding a valid permit who is otherwise admissible "shall not be deemed to have abandoned status based solely on the duration of an absence or absences while the permit is valid."

Refugee travel document. 223.1(b): a person with refugee or asylee status "must have a refugee travel document to return to the United States after temporary travel abroad unless he or she is in possession of a valid advance parole document." It is valid for one year, or until the refugee or asylee status expires, if sooner (223.3(a)(2)). It also cannot be extended.

Advance parole. The title of Part 223 names it, and 223.2(a) says an application for a reentry permit, refugee travel document, or advance parole "on the form designated by USCIS with the fee prescribed in 8 CFR 106.2" is made on the I-131. Advance parole is permission, requested before leaving, to be paroled into the US on return. It is not a visa and does not make a person admissible. Part 223 does not set a validity period for it. The period is stated on the document.

An approval is discretionary. 223.2(e): "USCIS may approve or deny a request for a reentry permit or refugee travel document as an exercise of discretion." There is no appeal path written into Part 223 for advance parole itself. A denied reentry permit or refugee travel document may be appealed under 8 CFR 103.3 (223.2(g)).

Leaving the country with a pending green card application

This is the part of the topic that carries real consequences, and the rule is in 8 CFR 245.2(a)(4)(ii). In paraphrase: for an applicant who is not in removal proceedings, departure from the US is deemed an abandonment of a pending adjustment of status application, "unless the applicant was previously granted advance parole by the Service for such absences, and was inspected upon returning to the United States." Paragraph (B) repeats the protection in its own words: travel "shall not be deemed an abandonment of the application if he or she was previously granted advance parole by the Service for such absences, and was inspected and paroled upon returning to the United States."

Three things follow from the wording, and each is a place where people go wrong.

  1. "Previously granted." The document has to be approved before the person leaves. Filing the I-131 is not enough. A pending I-131 on the day of departure does not meet the text of the rule.
  2. "For such absences" and "inspected upon returning." The protection attaches to the trip the document covers, and to a return where the person is inspected and paroled in.
  3. A later denial. The same paragraph warns that "if the adjustment application of an individual granted advance parole is subsequently denied the individual will be treated as an applicant for admission, and subject to the provisions of section 212 and 235 of the Act." In plain terms: the travel document protects the pending application, but if that application is later denied, the person is back in the position of someone who was paroled in, with the admissibility rules that go with it.

Exceptions that exist for particular statuses. Paragraph (C) says travel does not abandon an application for someone in lawful H-1 or L-1 status who returns to resume work with the same employer, holds a valid visa if one is required, and remains eligible for that status. Parallel text covers H-4 and L-2 family members, K-3 and K-4 status holders, and V status. Whether one of these applies to a person is a question about their own facts and visas.

Anyone in proceedings. The first sentence of 245.2(a)(4)(ii)(A) says departure by an applicant "under exclusion, deportation, or removal proceedings shall be deemed an abandonment of the application." The advance-parole protection in that paragraph is written for applicants who are not in proceedings. A person who is, or may be, in immigration court should speak to an attorney or accredited representative before any departure.

A related limit. 8 CFR 212.7(e)(2)(ii) says a pending or approved provisional unlawful presence waiver "does not support the filing of any application for interim immigration benefits, such as employment authorization or an advance parole document," and any such application "will be rejected." Our guide to the I-601A covers that waiver.

Permanent residents are in a different position. A green card holder on a short trip does not ordinarily need advance parole. 8 CFR 211.1(a)(2) lets a returning resident present "a valid, unexpired Form I-551, Permanent Resident Card, if seeking readmission after a temporary absence of less than 1 year." Longer absences are what the reentry permit addresses.

Waivers, fee mistakes and what a rejection costs

Fee waivers. The I-131 is on a short list. 8 CFR 106.3(a)(3)(ii)(C) allows a fee waiver for "Application for Travel Document (Form I-131), when filed to request humanitarian parole." The unconditional waiver list in 106.3(a)(3)(i) does not include the I-131, and the list is introduced with the words "Only the following fees may be waived." So the waiver route in the regulation applies to humanitarian parole requests, not to advance parole filed with an adjustment application. Separately, 106.3(c) lets the USCIS Director authorize a waiver or exemption "if the Director determines that such action is in the public interest and consistent with the applicable law." That discretion is not a filing route. Our page on the I-912 fee waiver sets out how a waiver request works.

Premium processing. The I-131 is not among the benefit requests listed in 8 CFR 106.4(c), so there is no paid expedite option written for it.

Wrong fee. 8 CFR 103.2(a)(7)(ii)(D) says a benefit request is rejected if not "Submitted with the correct fee(s)" and that "A benefit request which is rejected will not retain a filing date." If USCIS accepts the request and later decides the fee was wrong, it "may reject or deny the request." The 16 October 2026 changes make this live: a request postmarked on or after that date with the old amount, where the new fee applies, is rejected under the USCIS notice.

Payment mechanics. 8 CFR 106.1(b) requires fees to be "remitted from a bank or other institution located in the United States and payable in U.S. currency." Card payments are "not subject to dispute, chargeback, forced refund, or return to the cardholder for any reason except at the discretion of USCIS" (106.1(e)).

What this costs in a typical stack. Fees for people applying for a green card from inside the US are additive. On the paper amounts in 8 CFR 106.2 as at 9 October 2026, an adult who files an I-485 ($1,440), a work permit filed with it ($260 for an I-485 filed with a fee after 1 April 2024) and an I-131 for advance parole ($630) pays $2,330 in USCIS fees. That is arithmetic from the regulation, not a statement that a person should file all three or that any of them will be approved. Our pages on the I-485 fee and the I-765 fee set out those two lines.

Who may help. Preparing an I-131 is not clerical when the question is whether travel is safe. 8 CFR 292.1(a) lists who may represent a person before USCIS: attorneys, supervised law students and graduates, a narrow category of unpaid "reputable individuals" with a pre-existing connection, and accredited representatives of recognized non-profits, among others. A person who is paid to tell you whether to travel is giving legal advice.

Finding a licensed attorney or accredited representative

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See attorneys and accredited representatives in the directory.

Notaries public, notarios and immigration consultants are not lawyers and cannot give immigration legal advice. Only a licensed attorney or a DOJ-accredited representative can.

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Questions people ask

How much is the I-131 advance parole fee in 2026?

8 CFR 106.2(a)(7)(iii) sets $630 for advance parole, reentry permits and other travel documents. Refugee travel documents are $165 (16 or older) or $135 (under 16). Forms filed online cost $50 less under 106.1(g) except the refugee travel document lines. Check the G-1055 fee schedule before paying.

Is there an I-131 fee waiver?

The regulation allows a fee waiver for an I-131 filed to request humanitarian parole (8 CFR 106.3(a)(3)(ii)(C)). It does not list advance parole filed with an adjustment application among waivable fees. Some humanitarian categories are exempt from the I-131 fee under 106.3(b).

Can I travel while my I-485 is pending?

8 CFR 245.2(a)(4)(ii) treats departure as abandonment of the pending application unless advance parole was previously granted for the absence and the person was inspected on return, with limited exceptions for some H, L, K and V status holders. Whether a trip is safe depends on facts about one person's case, so ask an attorney or accredited representative.

Is advance parole the same as a reentry permit?

No. A reentry permit is for permanent residents and conditional residents who will be abroad for longer, is valid for 2 years and cannot be extended (8 CFR 223.3). Advance parole is requested by people with pending applications who need permission to be paroled back in. Both use Form I-131.

Does the 16 October 2026 parole fee change affect advance parole?

USCIS's notice lists the Form I-131 immigration parole fee, rising from $1,020 to $1,050. The advance-parole line in the regulation is $630 and is not in that notice. Check G-1055 and the form instructions for which fee applies to the type of parole you are requesting.

Sources

Last checked 2026-10-09.

Related guides

  • USCIS fees, October 2026: every main form — As at 9 October 2026 the paper fee is $675 for the I-130, $1,440 for an adult I-485, $520 for a standard I-765, $750 for the I-751 and $760 for the N-400. Four fees rise on 16 October 2026, EB-5 fees change on 30 November 2026, and several changes are only proposed.
  • Form I-485 fee 2026: adults, children and add-on forms — As at 9 October 2026 the paper fee for Form I-485 is $1,440 for an applicant 14 or older and $950 for a child under 14 filing with a parent (8 CFR 106.2(a)(21)). A fee waiver is available only to people exempt from the public charge ground, and related forms carry their own fees.
  • Form I-765 fee 2026: $520, $260, $570 or no fee — The standard paper fee for Form I-765 is $520 (8 CFR 106.2(a)(44)). It is $260 with a pending I-485 filed with a fee after 1 April 2024, some groups pay nothing, and a statutory fee applies to initial asylum, parole and TPS work permits, rising from $560 to $570 on 16 October 2026.
  • Form I-601A provisional waiver: the $795 fee and how it works — The I-601A ($795) lets some people in the US ask USCIS to waive the 3- and 10-year unlawful-presence bars before leaving for a consular interview. The statute requires extreme hardship to a US citizen or permanent-resident spouse or parent. It takes effect only after departure and a consular interview.
  • USCIS fee waiver (Form I-912): which forms qualify and how it works — Only the fees listed in 8 CFR 106.3(a)(3) can be waived, and the green card petition for a relative (I-130) and advance parole are not on the main list. Inability to pay is shown by a means-tested benefit, household income at or below 150% of the poverty guidelines, or extreme financial hardship. A denial cannot be appealed.
  • Who can legally give US immigration advice? — Attorneys in good standing and DOJ-accredited representatives of recognized non-profits can advise and represent you; a few narrow categories can appear unpaid. Notaries, notarios and immigration consultants cannot give immigration legal advice. Form preparers may only fill in blanks for a nominal fee.
  • Free ($0) and low-cost immigration legal help: where it comes from — Legal help at $0 or low cost comes mainly from three official sources: EOIR's List of Pro Bono Legal Service Providers (for people in immigration court), DOJ-recognized non-profits with accredited representatives, and supervised law school clinics. Government filing fees usually still apply.