On June 9, 2025, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) released a policy memorandum directing officers to process all pending applications from individuals paroled into the U.S. under Uniting for Ukraine (U4U) and other humanitarian parole programs. This development follows a court order from the Svitlana Doe v. Noem case.
Kika Scott, acting deputy director of USCIS, explained in an affidavit that the new memorandum “authorizes USCIS officers to adjudicate all pending benefits request filed by aliens who are or were paroled into the United States under Uniting for Ukraine (U4U), the parole processes for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans (CHNV Parole Program), and Family Reunification Parole (FRP) processes to a final agency action once USCIS has completed the additional vetting requirement for the parolees’ individual requests.”
Previously, in February 2025, USCIS had paused processing these applications due to security concerns. This pause affected various immigration benefits like work permits and asylum applications.
The recent policy change offers relief to employers of parolees eligible for additional immigration benefits. It allows individuals who entered through valid parole programs to apply for work permits and other forms of immigration relief.
The CHNV Parole Program was terminated recently; however, those who applied for other benefits before its termination might still be eligible to remain in the U.S. Employers may need to support their employees with filings related to work authorization.
USCIS is now required to process these applications without indefinite delays. The ruling affects those who entered through special parole programs nationwide.
Employers should consider assisting qualifying employees with their immigration benefit filings as policies could change quickly due to potential appeals by the federal government.