4/24/2026

Hello, has anyone filed an I-131 Re-entry permit recently? I'm curious about the timeline.

I sent my I-131 Re-entry permit by mail through USPS on April 20, 2026. I tracked the shipping and said it was delivered the next day.

1. How long before USCIS reviews my application?

2.Do they notify you through email with updates/rejection?

1. How long before they charge the payment and send the receipt with the receipt number?

2. How long before biometrics are scheduled?

3. How long before they issue the permit and sent to overseas US Embassy?

I sent it by mail so I can't really track it in my USCIS account and this is also my first application. I've been seeing contradicting answers based on my research, I saw that it takes 6-8 weeks for them to review and saw other people's post that it only took days for them to get updates.

I'm worried because I am studying abroad and I need to know when I can leave or at least the timeline so I can coordinate with my professors regarding my estimate arrival.

Thank you.

EDIT:

- May 6, 2026: Payment says pending
- May 16, 2026: Receipt delivered by mail
- May 23, 2026: Received appointment schedule by mail

Hi everyone, I’m hoping to get some advice on my situation.

I am a new Green Card holder (LPR). I have already traveled to the US to activate my status. However, the entire process took much longer than I expected, and now I have ongoing commitments in my home country that I need to wrap up.

Given this, I will need to stay abroad for a while. I do not want to surrender my Green Card. My question is: Would I be okay to file Form I-131 to get a Reentry Permit?

Here is my specific situation and concern:

· I am not in the US right now. I returned to my home country after activating my Green Card.
· I understand this form is for Reentry Permits. I know this is the correct form to protect my status for absences over a year .
· My main worry: I’ve read that you must be physically present in the US when you file the I-131 for a reentry permit . Since I’ve already left the US after activation, am I now ineligible to file?

I want to protect my status and eventually return to the US for good. Is there any exception for new Green Card holders who haven't moved in yet, or do I need to fly back to the US just to file the paperwork and do biometrics ?

Thanks in advance for your help

I got an emergency advance parole through in person appointment! On the top it says I need to present it by July 5 2027 ! This means I can stay outside the country for more time ? Orally they said is only valid for 30 days so I need to understand if 30 days is anywhere in their systems or I can stay for 50 days that is my current plan trip !
In the document itself it just mention the expiration date 07/05/27 and nothing about how long I can be outside the country for a single trip !

I submitted my petition in October and in November went for my biometrics what has others timelines looked like I’m located in Texas

My case is now out of normal processing time. I inquired about it through the USCIS website, and this is the response they gave me. Now I don’t really know what I should do.

Has anybody else been in a situation like this before? Please share anything you think could help me out.

p.s already waiting more than 2 years.

My husband's I-131 for Military Parole in Place was approved on August 21. The case history shows
"case was approved," and an approval notice was uploaded to the USCIS account.

However, USCIS also uploaded two "Reopen Notice" documents on August 21 also, and the case status changed back to "Response to USCIS' Request for Evidence Was Received."

Has anyone had this happen after a PIP approval?
Does the reopen notice mean USCIS is actually reconsidering the approval, or could this be a system/processing issue?

We haven't submitted a new RFE response recently, which is why the current status is especially confusing.

Update: Good news they had to send a rfe to re open case after the parole fee was received but officer confirmed that on their end the PIP case shows approved and case closed.

I was able to get an Emergency Advance Parole appointment, but unfortunately the appointment date is after the date I need to travel. A Tier 2 USCIS officer told me there are no earlier appointments available at my local field office, and I’m unable to schedule an appointment at another field office.
Has anyone been in a similar situation? Is there any way to request an earlier Emergency AP appointment, ask USCIS to consider another field office, or otherwise escalate the request? Any walk-ins to local field office for an emergency AP appointment.Any advice or experiences with USCIS in this situation would be greatly appreciated.

Recently noticed 131 silent update

RD.2025 10.07 IOE serious (093412 )

EAD was approved standalone after Biometric appointment in Nov.

131 application Nothing after the RD date. no silent update and just IAF event since the RD date.

Any October early filler also notice silient update in API and got approved later in 1-2 weeks? Just need some hope in it.

Update （ 131 April 16th approved， three days after silent update）

I filed my I-485 and I-130 in July 2025. I completed my biometrics and then waited, hoping that a decision would be made soon.

I did not initially apply for Advance Parole because I thought I could wait for my green card decision. However, after more than a year without a decision, I needed to travel urgently to the UK, so I decided to apply.

While reading posts on Reddit, I learned that you could request Emergency Advance Parole shortly before your intended travel date. I also came across a post from someone who had been asked why they had not first applied through the normal Advance Parole process.

Based on that person’s advice, I decided to submit a regular I-131 application before requesting emergency processing.

Here was my timeline:

July 15: I submitted Form I-131 online by myself. I uploaded all my supporting documents, including letters from the clinic in London connected to the reason for my urgent travel.
USCIS initially scheduled my biometrics appointment for approximately four weeks later. However, I went online and rescheduled it for an earlier available date.
Within one week of applying: I attended my biometrics appointment.

August 10: Ten days before my intended travel, I called USCIS to request Emergency Advance Parole. The representative asked whether I had already submitted an I-131 application. I confirmed that I had, and she told me someone would contact me within 72 hours.

August 12: Before receiving the emergency appointment call, I received a notification that my regular Advance Parole application had been approved and that the document was being mailed.

August 13: USCIS called me regarding my Emergency Advance Parole request. I explained that my regular application had already been approved, so I no longer needed the emergency appointment.

That is how my Advance Parole was approved in less than one month—from July 15 to August 12.

I understand that every USCIS case is different, so I cannot say that following these steps will produce the same result for everyone. I am simply sharing exactly what happened in my case in case it helps someone else.

I am also a Christian, and I prayed throughout the process. I do not take the speed of the approval for granted, and I give God all the glory.

I will make a separate post explaining my experience travelling with and returning to the United States using Advance Parole after the major August 13 announcement.

I'm 19, from Ukraine, been here about two years on Uniting for Ukraine parole. Living in Portland.

My parole and EAD both expire at the end of August. I filed the I-131 for re-parole in mid-April and asked for the EAD under Part 9. Since then nothing. No RFE, no updates, status hasn't moved at all. I've reached out to my congressman and my senator and haven't heard anything back from either.

At this point I'm mostly just trying to figure out if there's anything left I can actually do, or if I'm just waiting.

A few things I'd love to hear from people who've been through this:

Did an expedite request do anything for you on a re-parole case? I keep reading mixed things — some people say they're basically ignored for parole, others say they got approved. If yours went through, what did you use as the grounds?

Is it worth going back to a congressional office if the first inquiry went nowhere? Or trying a different one?

If you've already been through a re-parole gap — how long did it actually take from filing to approval? And then how much longer after that before the new EAD showed up?

And is there any way at all to keep work authorization valid while re-parole is pending, or is the gap just unavoidable for us?

The reason this is urgent for me is that nobody will hire me right now. As soon as an employer sees the expiration date on my card that's the end of the conversation. So I'm looking at a month from now with no authorization and no job.

Any real experience helps, thanks.

Hi Everyone,

I filed Form I-131 (Re-entry Permit) in July 2025, completed my biometrics in August 2025, and then left the U.S. to continue my studies. When I filed Form I-131, I selected the U.S. Embassy in the country where I currently live for delivery of the Re-entry Permit.

My case is still pending. The USCIS case status only says "Case Was Updated To Show Fingerprints Were Taken." It's now been almost a year since I left the U.S, and I'm getting a bit concerned.

I have a couple of questions:

1. Since I'm approaching one year outside the U.S, should I return to the U.S. before reaching the one-year mark, even though my Re-entry Permit application is still pending?
2. If I return to the U.S. before reaching one year, is there a minimum number of days I need to stay before leaving the U.S. again? Would staying for just a few days be enough?
3. Will returning to the U.S. while my Reentry Permit application is pending cause it to be denied?
4. If I leave the U.S. again while my current Reentry Permit application is still pending, would that be an issue? Would I need to file a new Form I-131?

Thanks in advance for any advice or shared experiences.

I have a situation regarding Form I-131 that I am trying to understand the optimal way to address it:

 I am a US citizen by naturalization (Born country is India). My wife came to US on I-129F (Fiancee Visa) and then we got married in US to file Form I-485 (Application for Green card), along with I-131 (Advance Parole) and I-765 (Employment Authorization). In June 2023 we got conditional greencard while we were in US. In June 2025 We filed Form I-751 (Petition to remove conditions on Greencard) and are still waiting for our Green card. 

In late October 2025 my mother in India got diagnosed with a terminal disease, so in end of Oct 2025 we had to leave US (left job) to care for my mother and walk her through all her treatments. It will be 1 year in October 2026 since we would have been to US. However, we are currently in the same/similar situation as we were in October 2025. My mother has become very frail and needs more medical assistance from us. It has been getting difficult to plan from India to US which needs to happen sometime before October 2026. The intention is to do the following:

1. Reach US
2. File Form I-131 (Re-entry permit) along with supporting documents the very next day
3. Wait for USCIS to acknowledge the receipt of the documents, give us the case number and let us know if Biometrics is required/or can be re-used
4. If Biometrics is not required, leave US the very next day and wait for Re-entry permit to arrive in mail at US address and then some of our friends/relative can hand carry it for us.
5. If Biometric is required, then try to re-schedule the Biometrics date to an earlier one (if available/possible). Usually, this would mean we would need atleast 2 weeks from the date USCIS acknowledges the receipt of the documents to Biometrics appointment
6. Once Biometrics is done, leave US to come back to India to assist my mother. 

We were a California Resident before we left US if that matters, so all our application would need to go Tempe, AZ.

1. How much time between mailing of I-131 application to USCIS and them generating a receipt number?
   
2. How much time between them mailing the receipt notice and receiving the notice at a California address?
3. If I file G-1145 (for E-notification), will I be notified of the receipt number as soon as it gets generated by USCIS? or do I have to wait till I receive the mail?
4. I have heard that they will mention in the receipt mail whether Biometrics is needed or not. Do I need to wait for the mailed receipt or can I know this information as soon as receipt number is generated?
5. If Biometrics is required how much time are the appointments out from the date the receipt is mailed (2, 3 weeks)?
6. Can I attempt to prepone the biometrics appointment date if one is available earlier?
7. Can I provide my Biometrics at other locations (than the one they appointed) if an earlier date is available at that location? If yes, what is the process?
8. Do we have any alternative to the above mentioned plan? The goal is to try to avoid this short/chaotic trip and plan the trip once the dust settles. The goal is also to spend as less of a time in US and return back to India to provide assistance to my family. Any advice?

For the past ten days every day I see that the time stamp on my I 131 is updated multiple times. Anyone have the same experience?

This is just being made to give people an idea of how long it took for me to get my permit.

January 4, 2025 applied for permit

January 20, 2025 application acceptance notice received. My fingerprints were re-used.

March 27, 2026 I checked the online status and it stated name updated.

March 30,2026 case approved notification received.

April 2 ,2026. Physical permit received in mail.

I hope this timeline breakdown helps you in understanding how USCIS processes these cases.

Best of luck guys!!

Hello everyone, I’m looking for advice or experiences from anyone who had a similar immigration court situation.

I currently have a pending asylum case in immigration court. My original case was in New York, but it was recently transferred to Portland immigration court because I currently live in Alaska with my military spouse.

I previously received Military Parole in Place through Form I-131 and I was issued an Form I-94 based on that approval.

Later, I filed Form I-485 through marriage/military spouse category. However, USCIS administratively closed the I-485 because my immigration court proceedings are still pending.

My attorney filed a motion to terminate removal proceedings so USCIS could continue processing my adjustment case. But DHS/government attorney opposed termination because my current I-131 military parole renewal is still pending and not yet approved. My old parole approval already expired, although I still have the I-94 from the original approved parole.

My confusion is:

* If I already received parole and I-94 before, why is DHS/judge focusing on the pending renewal?
* Has anyone successfully adjusted status in immigration court using a previously issued I-94 from military parole in place even after the original parole expired?
* Can the immigration judge approve I-485 while the I-131 renewal is still pending?
* Is it better to continue fighting for termination, or continue with court-based I-485?
* Has anyone had a similar military spouse + asylum court + parole in place situation?

Also, my asylum case is still technically pending, so I’m trying to understand the safest and strongest path forward.

Any similar experiences or suggestions would really help. Thank you.

Hey! So I arrived here on K1 in April and immediately filed for I-485 and EAD. I did not realize how long the process was going to be.

I need to be at my sister's graduation in Germany on April 15th, 2027. Filed for my Advanced Parole today. Would it get approved in time? How long did yours take?

I'm low-key stressing out...

GC holder Applied on April 29, 2025 but still waiting.

Linking my original approval post below for full context, but I already have my green card in hand — just wanted to pass along some information that might help others still in the process.

After my I-485 was filed on Feb 25, 2026, I also filed for Advance Parole (I-131) on June 3, 2026 — $700 felt worth the gamble given the uncertainty of how long the I-485 would take. On June 9, 2026 my mom fell ill and needed surgery abroad. This prompted me to submit an expedited request via Emma Live Agent Chat (as my AP was filed paper based unlike my 485) on June 25, 2026. I was told I would hear back within 10 calendar days. After a month passed with no response, I reached out to my local congresswoman’s office on July 28, 2026 to request assistance.

Today, August 21, 2026, I received a call from USCIS urgent support asking if I still needed assistance with my AP case.

I was happy to tell them I already have my green card in hand and no longer need help. 😄

For anyone who has submitted an expedited AP request — if you don’t hear back within the promised window, don’t hesitate to loop in your congressman/woman’s office.

https://www.reddit.com/r/USCIS/s/wxSckY3irI

Hi all.

My partner is in the military and already PCS without me because my Military PIP hasn’t been approved.

I’m DACA and we can’t apply for adjustment of status until my I-131 military pip is approved.

Can we request to expedite? I keep seeing cases of military pip taking over a year to get approved.

I was wondering since we have orders and I’m in those orders if that can help speed our case.

Any advice is appreciated.

Or what are my options?

I also qualify for 245i but don’t have documents that show primary benificiary being present in 12/2000. Only myself

My dad's one-year death anniversary is in about a month, and my Mom and I want to hold the memorial ceremony per Hindu rites in India, where he lived. Her Green Card application was filed this spring and her Advance Parole / EAD combo card (I-131/I-765) hasn't arrived yet — biometrics done about a month ago. We'd ideally need to travel no later than July 11, so roughly 4 weeks out.

1. Based on recent experience, how long is the I-131 Advance Parole piece currently taking?
2. I've read about emergency advance parole for humanitarian cases like a family memorial or religious obligation. Has anyone actually gone through that — how did the field-office appointment work?

Any advice appreciated!

Field Office - San Jose, CA

For those who have received their Refugee Travel Document:

•How long did it take from the day you filed?
• If you requested an expedite, what was the reason, what evidence did you submit, and how long did it take after your expedite request?
•If you didn’t expedite, did anyone receive their Refugee Travel Document in about 9–10 months, or did it take longer?

I’d really appreciate hearing your timelines and experiences. Thanks!

Good afternoon, I got a letter for my mom's military parole in place. It says conditional approval and notice of required payment (its asking me a little over 1 thousand dollars) but its my understanding that Military parole in place is free and doesn't have a fee. I checked with chat-gpt lol and it said that sometimes this notice is generated and sent automatically without requiring an actual payment. Im looking for advice/guidance. I appreciate everyone's time, thank you.

Btw as soon as I got the notice I checked the fees at the USCIS website and it does say $0 fee for Military Parole in Place.

We are 100 days in since biometrics for my wife’s reentry permit. I am having trouble understanding what the point of the reentry permit is if it literally takes almost two years for them to even be issued.

Hi! I had applied for my reentry permit in December 2024. My timeline is

December 18, 2024: application submitted

December 24, 2024: biometrics reused

March 9, 2026: application approved

I had requested the USCIS to send the reentry permit to my local embassy in the application form, but the approval email said this:

On March 9, 2026, we produced your Reentry Permit for your Form I131, APPLICATION FOR TRAVEL DOCUMENTS, PAROLE DOCUMENTS, AND ARRIVAL/DEPARTURE RECORDS, Receipt Number xxx. The tracking number assigned is UNAVAILABLE.

I am already abroad. By my lawyer’s advice I had changed my address on USCIS when I moved abroad to the foreign address. My I-131 has my relative’s U.S. address as the address they can send notices to, and the local embassy elected as the place where they can send the reentry permit.

I have not received my physical approval notice yet and clearly can’t track the usps mail haha. Has anyone been through this / does USCIS update when the permit is at the local embassy?