USCIS is resuming the Cuban Family Reunification Parole (CFRP) Program beginning with already pending CFRP applications. This program started in 2007 and has been on hold for some time. It allows beneficiaries of approved Forms I-130, Petitions for Alien Relative, to come to the United States on parole while waiting for an available visa number.  The purpose of the program is to offer safe immigration pathways for those confronting humanitarian crises and alleviate the dangers associated with irregular immigration efforts for family members of U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents.

Under the CFRP, USCIS sends invitation letters to petitioners who are eligible for the program. Upon receipt of an invitation, parole forms and fees must be submitted. The last step is the scheduling of a consular interview in Havana. Upon arrival in the United States, beneficiaries are eligible to apply for work authorization. When the beneficiary’s immigrant visa becomes available or after one year of physical presence in the U.S., the beneficiary may apply for lawful permanent residence, if otherwise eligible.

At this time, USCIS is not issuing new invitations. The agency, however, has started to mail interview notices to petitioners with pending applications along with instructions for the beneficiary interviews. The Embassy in Havana was closed in 2017 and the USCIS field office in Havana was closed in 2018. Currently, there is limited interview capacity; however, on August 18, 2022, USCIS began conducting interviews.

USCIS is also sending general information about the program to petitioners with pending applications.  That information includes points that petitioners and beneficiaries should consider to determine whether they are still eligible for the program and how to proceed. These considerations include:

  • Has the beneficiary already applied for adjustment of status?
  • If the petitioner has naturalized, can the beneficiaries be considered immediate relatives for adjustment purposes?
  • Have any beneficiaries aged out?
  • Is immigrant visa processing an alternative?

USCIS has:

  • Recommended petitioners with pending CFRP applications for family members should ensure that USCIS and National Visa Center (NVC) both have their current address; and
  • Warned petitioners and beneficiaries to avoid scams explaining that the government agencies will not email or call to ask for money or payment or fees.

In June 2022, DHS announced that it would resume both the CFRP and the Haitian Family Reunification Parole (HFRP) Program. To date, the Haitian program has not resumed.

Jackson Lewis attorneys are available to advise regarding these family reunification programs.

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Photo of Forrest G. Read IV Forrest G. Read IV

Forrest Read is a Principal in the Raleigh, North Carolina, office of Jackson Lewis P.C. He has extensive experience in both business immigration law and employment law and has particular focus in legal issues in graduate medical education (GME).

Mr. Read’s immigration practice…

Forrest Read is a Principal in the Raleigh, North Carolina, office of Jackson Lewis P.C. He has extensive experience in both business immigration law and employment law and has particular focus in legal issues in graduate medical education (GME).

Mr. Read’s immigration practice focuses on assisting employers in obtaining employment-based nonimmigrant visas (e.g., H-1B, L, O, TN) for foreign national employees and work-related immigrant (green card) visas, including PERM Labor Certifications, and advising employers on compliance with U.S. immigration laws and regulations. He has broad experience in advising large, mid-size and small employers on their various immigration needs and developing strategies to help them navigate through complex immigration issues. He also has particular experience in counseling employers in the health care industry and addressing immigration-related issues that arise for their broad range of health care professional employees (including advising on and obtaining employment authorization for medical residents and fellows and obtaining J-1 visa waivers for foreign national physicians completing their medical training in the United States). His immigration practice also includes defending employers in connection with Department of Labor H-1B and H-2B investigations.

Mr. Read’s employment law experience includes representing management, particularly academic medical centers in the GME context, in a wide array of workplace disputes and litigation before federal and state courts and administrative agencies, including matters related to discrimination, retaliation, harassment, disability, family and medical leave, various wage and hour issues, contracts, and intentional torts. He advises academic medical centers on the interplay between applicable academic law and employment law and the ramifications of what are divergent legal requirements and standards. Mr. Read also provides counsel with respect to the legal impact of competency standards for residents and trainees in GME, including situations involving discipline, remediation, and dismissal. He provides advice and guidance in the peer review process, including provision of verification and assessment of training in response to third party inquiries.

As a member of the Firm’s Corporate Diversity Counseling group, Mr. Read also has experience in providing assessments and making recommendations to corporate and institutional clients with respect to diversity and inclusion policies and initiatives, conducting related internal investigations, and shaping, developing and enforcing effective policies and initiatives to ensure consistency with client values and in furtherance of business goals and objectives.