On June 18, 2024, the Biden administration announced the new administrative order. This administrative order helps eligible noncitizen aliens who entered the U.S. without visa, by allowing “parole-in-place (PIP)” to resolve the illegal entry problem and enable them to possibly apply for green cards. The final details of this order were announced on August 19, 2024.
On August 27, 2024, 16 states challenged the authority and legality of the administrative order, and requested its implementation be suspended. On November 7, 2024, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas ruled that the federal government lacked the authority and stopped the program.
USCIS announced on November 13, 2024 that (1) they are not accepting any PIP applications under administrative order for the Keeping Families Together program; and (2) all biometric appointments scheduled for the program are cancelled. USCIS had suspended processing of all existing applications.
The filing fee for the Keeping Families Together PIP application was $580.00. As all applications filed prior to the court order of suspending the program are administratively closed, refunds began to be issued to applicants by crediting the amount back to the payment card.
Parole-in-Place itself was not a new program. The new administrative order expanded the existing PIP program that was available to limited circumstances such as spouses of U.S. military personnel. The November 2024 court ruling only stopped the new PIP program expanded through the Biden administration.
Should you have any questions or concerns about the PIP application as spouses of U.S. military personnel or any general immigration matters, or any other legal matters that our office could help you with, please do not hesitate to contact our office at 718-335-1100 or at info@sunjaelaw.com.