Can You Leave the US with U4U Parole or TPS and Come Back: Advance Parole, I-512T and Risks in 2026

You can leave, but coming back without permission obtained in advance (advance parole) is almost impossible.

• Under 8 CFR 212.5(e)(1), parole ends automatically as soon as you leave the US.
• There are no new entries under U4U: applications have been closed since the end of January 2025.
• Re-parole is only given to people who are in the US. According to the I-131 instructions, a person who is already abroad is not eligible for re-parole.
• To return, you must file I-131 for advance parole before you leave and wait for approval.

Even with advance parole, CBP may refuse entry. If your parole has expired, or you have past denials or criminal cases, talk to an immigration attorney first.

Your parole ends the moment you leave, and you will not be able to come back on it.

• A pending re-parole application becomes pointless: re-parole is only granted to people in the US.
• If you have filed for a green card (I-485), USCIS will deny it as abandoned, except in narrow cases.
• If you have filed for asylum, USCIS will consider it abandoned.
• If you have more than 180 days of unlawful presence, leaving triggers a 3-year reentry bar, and with 1 year or more, a 10-year bar.

Source: USCIS – Travel Documents. Before you buy a ticket, check your I-94 and all applications you have filed.

Only with advance parole obtained before you leave, and with no guarantee that you will be let back in.

• For parolees, a trip to Ukraine follows the same rules as any other trip: without advance parole, parole ends when you leave.
• On the I-131 (Part 7), you list the purpose of the trip and the countries, so tell the truth. Explain why this is an urgent humanitarian reason: illness, a funeral, etc.
• When you return, you pay the parole fee at the US border ($1,050 starting 10/16/2026) unless you qualify for an exception.
• For men who are Ukrainian citizens, there are restrictions on leaving Ukraine under martial law. Check the current rules of the State Border Guard Service before the trip.

If you have filed for TPS or asylum, the risks are different. Read the TPS section below and talk to an attorney.

The rules for returning are the same: what matters is not the country, but the fact that you are leaving the US.

• Parolee: you need advance parole before you leave, otherwise your parole ends.
• TPS: you need an I-512T before you leave, otherwise you can lose TPS.
• A land crossing into Canada or Mexico is also a departure. CBP warns that when you leave by land, your departure may not be recorded correctly in the I-94, so keep proof: a stamp or a receipt.
• Check the entry rules of the destination country (visa, visa-free travel, length of stay) separately on that country's website.

In 2026, lawyers consider "weekend" tourist trips with parole or TPS an unjustified risk.

Advance parole (document I-512L) is permission in advance to return to the US after a trip. You must get it BEFORE you leave.

1. Form I-131, Part 1: for a current parolee, item 5.H.
2. Filing is by mail only, $630 (G-1055, edition of 10/07/2026). A fee waiver is generally not available for this category.
3. In Part 7, list the dates, purpose of the trip, countries, number of trips and length.
4. Add evidence of the purpose: medical records, a death certificate, an invitation, etc.
5. Attend biometrics if you are called, and wait for approval in the US.

Details: uscis.gov/i-131. Americanization helps prepare advance parole applications.

There is no separate "return fee." It is the fee for being granted parole (Immigration Parole Fee), and starting 10/16/2026 it is $1,050.

• CBP charges it at the border every time it admits you as a parolee (including on advance parole), unless you qualify for an exception.
• It cannot be waived through I-912.
• The law has exceptions, for example for people with a filed I-485 returning from a temporary trip, as well as for urgent medical care and a few other cases.
• Plus the fee for the I-131 itself: $630.

A TPS holder's return on an I-512T is an admission in TPS status, not parole. That is why lawyers believe the $1,050 fee is not charged in that case. We did not find direct confirmation for TPS in the Federal Register.

Check the official processing time in the Processing Times tool on uscis.gov. We were not able to pull fresh data from it automatically, so we do not give an exact number as of 10/15/2026.

• Plan your trip with a large buffer: months, not weeks.
• If the trip is urgent (serious illness or death of a relative), you can request expedited processing (expedite) with documents.
• Do not buy nonrefundable tickets before approval.
• Leaving before you receive the document usually means the application is considered abandoned.

If you also have a pending re-parole or TPS application, while abroad you may miss USCIS letters (for example, an RFE), and without a response the application can be denied.

It depends on what your document says: single or multiple trips, and until what date.

• On the I-131 (Part 7), you state how many trips you plan. USCIS decides how many trips and for how long to issue the document.
• Look at the document itself (I-512L or I-512T): it shows the validity period and the number of entries.
• A parolee pays the parole fee ($1,050 starting 10/16/2026) on every return.
• The document does not give you the right to return after it expires, even if your parole or TPS is still valid.

No. As USCIS states, having advance parole does not guarantee that you will be admitted to the US: the final decision is made by the CBP officer at the border.

• The officer may ask about the purpose of your trip, your work, criminal records, and past violations.
• Bring the original document, your passport, I-797 and copies of the applications you filed.
• Answer truthfully and briefly. Do not sign documents you do not understand.

If you have had violations, an expired status or criminal cases, a trip may cost you the right to return. Before leaving, contact a licensed immigration attorney.

Yes, if before leaving you received an I-512T travel permit (TPS Travel Authorization).

• You file I-131, Part 1, item 4: $580 online / $630 by mail. For this category you can request a fee waiver (I-912).
• If CBP finds you eligible, you will be admitted in TPS status.
• Without travel permission, you can lose TPS and be unable to return.
• If your TPS is still pending (not approved), you need regular advance parole (I-512L). Without it, USCIS may deny your TPS.

Source: USCIS – Temporary Protected Status. The official TPS period for Ukraine ends on 10/19/2026. As of 10/15/2026, there is no official guidance on whether CBP will accept the I-512T after that date.

This is an important choice: returning on an I-512T takes away eligibility for a new parole.

• USCIS states that if you were previously admitted on parole and now return on TPS, that admission makes you ineligible for a new parole.
• According to Nova Ukraine volunteers, after traveling on advance parole and returning with the "DA" class, Ukrainians keep eligibility for re-parole.
• At the same time, TPS for Ukraine has an uncertain future after 10/19/2026, and parole ends on the date in your I-94.

If you plan to keep living in the US through re-parole, a trip on an I-512T may close that path. Make this decision only after consulting an attorney. Details: Re-parole and TPS.

Right now is one of the riskiest times to travel.

• As of 10/15/2026, DHS has published neither an extension nor a termination of TPS for Ukraine. The USCIS page still says "Oct. 19, 2026."
• Lawyers believe that TPS is automatically extended by law until 04/19/2027, but DHS has not confirmed this. How CBP officers at the border will act after 10/19 is unknown.
• If DHS decides to terminate TPS, while abroad you may have no basis to return.

If the trip is not forced (illness, a funeral), it is wiser to wait for an official DHS decision. We track the news on the TPS for Ukrainians page.

The main rule: get travel permission BEFORE you leave, and check whether you have any unlawful presence.

1. Check your I-94: has your parole expired? If it has, count the days.
2. Since 08/13/2026 (BIA decision Matter of Delcarmen-Lara), leaving on advance parole counts as a departure for reentry-bar purposes. This means that if you have more than 180 days of unlawful presence, after you return you can be found inadmissible (a 3- or 10-year bar).
3. Get an I-512L (parolee) or I-512T (TPS) and travel only within the document's validity period.
4. Make sure you can see USCIS letters while abroad: an unanswered RFE means a denial.
5. Have money for the $1,050 fee when you return (parolees).

Source: USCIS – Travel Documents.

They can. CBP has the authority to inspect the electronic devices of everyone entering or leaving the US, regardless of citizenship.

• According to CBP, in fiscal year 2025 devices were searched for less than 0.01% of international travelers, so it is rare.
• The inspection covers only what is stored on the device. The network is turned off during it.
• An advanced search with copying of data, under CBP rules, requires reasonable suspicion and a supervisor's approval.

Do not keep anything on your phone that contradicts your USCIS applications. Be consistent in your answers. Source: CBP – Border Search of Electronic Devices.

We did not find a separate form on USCIS websites for notifying USCIS of your departure. Your departure is recorded by CBP.

• When you leave by plane or ship, CBP records the departure electronically based on carrier data (CBP). Your I-94 is closed at that point.
• When you leave by land, the departure may not be recorded correctly: keep proof (a Canadian or Mexican stamp, a ticket).
• If you have pending applications (re-parole, I-485, asylum), leaving without permission can mean a denial or that the application is considered abandoned, even if you did not notify anyone.

If you move within the US, you must change your address with USCIS (AR-11) within 10 days.

You can travel with a green card, but with a filed but not yet approved I-485 you need advance parole.

• Pending I-485: if you leave without advance parole, USCIS will deny the application as abandoned, except in narrow cases. The law exempts people with a filed I-485 who return from a temporary trip from the parole fee.
• Green card: an absence of more than 180 days may raise questions at the border. After more than 1 year without a reentry permit, the card is no longer a document for returning.
• Only an immigration judge can take away permanent resident status. Do not sign Form I-407 under pressure.

If you have had arrests or court cases, contact an attorney before the trip. More: Change of Status.

Yes. Puerto Rico is a US territory, so a flight there is not considered leaving the country, and you do not need advance parole.

• Domestic flights and trips between states do not end parole or TPS.
• Adults 18 and older must carry proof of immigration registration: an I-94 (a printout or on your phone is fine) or an EAD. The penalty for not doing so is a fine of up to $5,000.
• Bring your passport and USCIS receipts for the applications you filed.
• A cruise that stops at a foreign port is already a departure from the US, even if it starts and ends in Miami.

If your parole has already expired, any document check carries a risk. Read ICE and Your Rights.

On the official CBP website i94.cbp.dhs.gov or in the CBP Link app, with the "Get Most Recent I-94" button. It is free.

1. Enter your first and last name as in your passport, date of birth, passport number and country of issuance.
2. If it does not find it, try the number of the old passport you entered with, or your name without the second part.
3. Print it or save it as a PDF and carry a copy with you.

The I-94 shows your date of entry, class (for example, UHP, DT, DA) and the "Admit Until" date, that is, when your parole ends. After re-parole is approved, the new I-94 comes together with the I-797A from USCIS. It may appear on the CBP website later. Beware of third-party websites that charge money to "get your I-94."