FAMILY-BASED PAROLE (CP-3)

Eligible Cuban citizens who are at least 21 years of age and have been issued an immigrant visa can request family-based parole for certain family members. Parole is a discretionary benefit granted by the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) office of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) in Havana.

Applications for family-based parole must be done at the time of the immigrant visa applicant’s interview. An immigrant visa applicant will not be able to request parole after this time. All applications for family-based parole must be reviewed by USCIS to determine the applicant’s eligibility for the program. Once USCIS has made a determination about an application, the U.S. Interests Section will contact the family with this decision. We ask that you do not contact us for at least a month from the date of the request.

If approved, the immigrant visa applicant will be scheduled to come to the U.S. Interests Section to pick up the packet of required forms needed for his or her relatives’ consular interview.  If the immigrant visa applicant is unable to come to the appointment, the parole applicant may come to pick up the packet.  On that day, the applicant will be given a unique identification number that will be necessary to schedule his or interview appointment.

At the time of their interview, applicants will need to provide the following documents:

• Photocopy of the visa from the person requesting parole
  
  
• Parole approval notice
  
  
• Valid passport and a photocopy of the pages where the issuance and expiration dates appear
  
  
• Immigrant visa forms DS-230, part I and II
  
  
• (2) Frontal color photos measuring 50mm x 50mm
  
  
• Birth certificate
  
  
• Civil status certificate, indicating whether the applicant is single, married, or widowed.
  
  
• Documents that prove the relationship between the visa holder and the parole applicant. In the case of a child, the applicant will need to demonstrate a birth certificate stating that the child is the son/daughter of the visa holder. In the case of a brother or sister, the applicant will need to provide his or her birth certificate and that of the visa holder.
  
  
• Criminal records (if the applicant is over 16 years of age). If the applicant has a criminal record, he or she will need to bring the court sentence at the time of the interview. In addition, applicants who have resided abroad for one year or more will need to submit a copy of his or her criminal records from the foreign country where he or she resided. Applicants that resided for one year or more in countries such as Angola, Ethiopia, former Soviet Union, Germany, Poland, the Check Republic, Romania, Hungary, or Bulgaria will need to consult with the offices of the Civil Registry located between Linea and E streets in Vedado, Havana to obtain this document.  Applicants that have resided abroad for one year or more in other countries will need to contact the embassy of that foreign country. If the applicant is unable to obtain these records, the applicant will need to refer to the employer that hired him or her during that period of time.
  
  
• Medical exam.  Applicants need to check the list of hospitals where they can have their medical examination.
  
  
• Affidavit of Support, Form I-134 (only if requested by the interviewing consular officer or USCIS)

Once applicants have gathered all the required documentation, they should ask a family member or associate in the United States to schedule an interview appointment on their behalf by contacting our Visa Information and Appointment Scheduling Service at 1-866-374-1769, Monday through Friday, from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The person scheduling the appointment will need to pay a nominal fee of $11 USD to be charged to his or her Visa or Mastercard credit account. At that time, the family member or associate scheduling the appointment will need to provide the unique identification number assigned to the parole applicant.

Approved applicants ages 16-80 are subject to special visa processing under the Enhanced Border Security and Visa Reform Act. While we make every attempt to promptly issue travel documents to qualified applicants, at times it may be necessary to wait several weeks for the results of security background checks. Once we receive this clearance, we will be able to make a final determination on a parole case.

Please keep in mind that Family-Based Parole requests take a considerable amount of time to be processed. Visa holders do not need to be present during this process.

There is no appeal process of a CP-3 parole denial, however, an applicant may submit a written request for reconsideration, within 90 days of the date of the adjudication, to:
Sección de Intereses
Attn: USCIS
Referencia: reconsideración de parole
Calle Calzada e/L y M
Vedado
Ciudad Habana 10400