RE-PAROLE: WHAT EVIDENCE SHOULD YOU PROVIDE TO USCIS?

When requesting a new period of humanitarian parole (Re-Parole), it is important not to limit your submission to completing Form I-131.

USCIS considers the individual circumstances of each applicant and makes parole determinations on a case-by-case basis.

For this reason, an important part of preparing a Re-Parole request is gathering evidence that supports the circumstances on which your request is based.

What circumstances can you document?

The appropriate evidence depends on each applicant’s individual situation.

Your supporting evidence may include documents and materials demonstrating:

• your individual humanitarian circumstances and reasons for requesting continued parole in the United States;
• circumstances that caused you to leave Ukraine;
• current conditions in Ukraine that are directly relevant to your individual situation;
• your residence or registered address in Ukraine;
• conditions in your specific city or region of Ukraine;
• your family circumstances and the circumstances of your family members;
• your employment and professional activities in the United States;
• your education or your children’s education;
• your financial independence and payment of taxes;
• relevant medical circumstances;
• your established life and circumstances in the United States;
• other individual circumstances relevant to your request.

The goal is not simply to submit a large number of documents. Each piece of evidence should have a clear purpose and help demonstrate a particular fact or circumstance described in your request.

Personal Statement / Affidavit

A Personal Statement or Affidavit can be used to provide USCIS with a detailed explanation of the applicant’s individual circumstances.

Depending on the case, the statement may describe:

• your life and place of residence in Ukraine;
• the circumstances surrounding your departure;
• why returning to Ukraine would be difficult or unsafe in your individual situation;
• your current personal and family circumstances;
• your life, employment, education, and other circumstances in the United States;
• the reasons you are requesting a new period of humanitarian parole.

A Personal Statement should not exist separately from the supporting evidence.

Whenever possible, important facts described in the statement should be supported by relevant documentation.

Documents from Ukraine

Depending on the applicant’s circumstances, supporting evidence may include:

• Ukrainian passport;
• documents confirming registered residence;
• birth and marriage certificates;
• documents concerning family members;
• documents concerning housing or property;
• employment or educational records;
• other documents supporting circumstances described in the Personal Statement.

If a particular city or region of Ukraine is directly relevant to the applicant’s humanitarian circumstances, it may also be helpful to document the applicant’s connection to that location.

Evidence regarding current conditions in Ukraine

The evidence package may also include materials documenting current conditions in Ukraine and, whenever possible, conditions in the applicant’s specific region.

These materials may include:

• official reports;
• information published by government agencies;
• reports from international organizations;
• articles from reputable news organizations;
• information regarding missile and drone attacks;
• destruction of residential buildings and civilian infrastructure;
• civilian deaths and injuries;
• disruptions to electricity, heating, and other essential services;
• other information directly relevant to the applicant’s circumstances.

General information about the war, however, should not completely replace an explanation of the applicant’s individual circumstances.

Documents regarding your life in the United States

Depending on the applicant’s circumstances, evidence concerning life in the United States may also be relevant.

Examples may include:

• employer letters;
• employment verification;
• pay stubs;
• tax documents;
• educational records;
• school or daycare records for children;
• letters of support;
• documents from a sponsor;
• medical documentation;
• other documents supporting important aspects of the applicant’s current circumstances.

Not every applicant needs every type of document listed above. The evidence package should reflect the actual circumstances of the individual applicant.

Letters of support

Letters from individuals or organizations familiar with the applicant may also be included as supporting evidence.

Depending on the situation, these may include letters from:

• a Uniting for Ukraine supporter;
• an employer;
• relatives;
• friends or acquaintances;
• a church or religious community;
• community organizations;
• other individuals who know the applicant and can confirm relevant facts.

A useful support letter should explain who the writer is, how the writer knows the applicant, and what specific circumstances the writer can confirm.

Translation of documents

Documents submitted to USCIS that are written in a language other than English should be accompanied by a complete English translation and the appropriate translator certification.

When preparing your evidence package, review all documents in advance to determine which ones require translation.

How should supporting evidence be organized?

Even strong evidence can be difficult to review when files are uploaded without a clear structure or meaningful names.

Supporting documents should therefore be organized in a logical manner.

Whenever appropriate:

• group documents by subject;
• use clear and descriptive file names;
• combine related documents when appropriate;
• verify that scans are clear and readable;
• make sure all necessary pages are included;
• attach translations to the corresponding foreign-language documents;
• make sure the evidence is consistent with the information provided in Form I-131 and the Personal Statement / Affidavit.

The goal is to make the submission easy to understand so that it is clear what circumstance each document is intended to support.

There is no universal evidence package

One of the most important things to understand when preparing a Re-Parole request is that there is no single universal list of evidence that applies equally to every applicant.

Documents that are important in one person’s case may have little or no relevance to another person’s circumstances.

For this reason, the supporting evidence should be built around the applicant’s individual history, humanitarian circumstances, and reasons for requesting a new period of parole.

Before filing, it is important to make sure that Form I-131, the Personal Statement / Affidavit, and the supporting evidence are consistent with one another and together provide a clear and coherent explanation of the applicant’s individual circumstances.

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