OLGT 2015-22: Cross Program: Haitian Family Reunification Program

Overview
The United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) recently implemented the Haitian Family Reunification Parole (HFRP) Program to expedite family reunification for certain eligible Haitian family members of U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents. Family members will be paroled into the U.S. as Cuban/Haitian entrants and await their immigrant visas in the U.S., rather than in Haiti. At that point, they will be eligible to apply for lawful permanent resident (LPR) status.

The eligibility requirements for parole under the HFRP include:

• The relative sponsor (petitioner) must be a U.S. citizen or LPR who has filed a Form 1-130, Petition for Alien Relative which was approved on or before December 18, 2014;
• The relative for whom the petition was filed (beneficiary) must be a Haitian national currently residing in Haiti;
• An immigrant visa is not yet available for the beneficiary; and
• Petitioner must have received an invitation to apply from the Department of State National Visa Center.

USCIS will use its discretion to grant parole on a case-by-case basis.
Since noncitizens approved for the HFRP Program will enter the United States as Cuban/Haitian entrants, they are eligible for EAEDC and for TAFDC and SNAP without a five-year bar.