Back in US after travelling with Advance Parole with deferred action - Page 36

Originally Posted by Carloshtr1

Hi everyone,

I have been a long-time lurker in this forums for the past 3 years, this place has always been very informative and has a great community always willing to help and inform readers and i always enjoyed reading about fellow dreamers and how they have gone from their nervousness and uncertainty of the initial DACA applications to finally AOS via the AP route. I religiously read this thread, because it would soothe my anxiety and fear of the AP process whenever I would read success stories of people returning home after traveling with AP and now I wanted to share my Advance Parole story in the hopes that it can also help ease the fears and anxieties of others who are in a similar situation.

I granted DACA back 10/2012 and I was renewed in 9/2014 I have been married for 4 years and both my wife and 6 month old son are US Citizens, because I was brought to the US at the age of 10 years old my status is EWI and thus was unable to adjust my status via marriage. Due to the upcoming Presidential elections and not knowing what will happen to DACA should a Republican take office, my wife and I decided that the best route would be to apply for Advance Parole under Humanitarian reasons since my Grandmother is sick with type II diabetes, Cardiac problems and Arthritis.

I submitted my AP application 9/30/2015 in which i included a letter from my grandmother's doctor explaining her medical condition, my birth certificate, my mother's birth certificate and my grandmother's birth certificate. All of which were translated. i also included a copy of my DACA notice of action, copy of my EAD, drivers license and SS card and a letter written by me explaining why i was requesting to be allowed to see my grandmother, along with 2 passport pictures. I received my receipt 10/6/2015 and received notice that my Document was mailed on 10/26/15 the actual document arrived 10/31/2015.

With AP document in hand,my wife, baby boy and I packed out bags and drove down to Tijuana 11/10/15, we flew from Tijuana to Tepic, Nayarit on 11/11/15 and visited my grandmother for 4 days, the feeling of seeing my grandmother, aunts, uncles, cousins after 22 years was amazing. Needless to say my grandmother was beyond happy to see me and meet my little boy, she seemed cheerful and her spirits were sky high and her ailments seemed to diminish while we were there.

on 11/14/15 we flew back from Tepic to Tijuana, picked up our car and lined up to reenter the US via the San Ysidro port of entry. There were a ton of cars and it took us 2/12 hours to get to the front. Once there, I handed the CBP officer my wife and sons US Passports and my Mexican passport with the 2 AP documents inside it. I was asked what my purpose in Mexico was and I responded to visit my sick grandmother, he then asked me where I was headed and if i needed a stamp. I replied that i was heading home and yes I would need a stamp, he then filled out an orange slip and placed it on the front of my windshield along with my passport and AP documents and pointed me to 2nd inspections.

Once there another CBP officer approached our car and looked at the orange slip and then instructed me to take my passport and AP document to the office inside and they would give me a stamp. Once in the office i handed my documents to another CBP officer who in turn send me with another Officer to get my fingerprints and picture taken, he asked my if I had an EAD to which i replied that yes i did but he did not ask for it, he then filled out a paper I-94 stamped it "paroled" and stamped both of my AP documents with the same stamp, but he did not stamp my passport. He proceed to make copies of my passport and I-94 and he stapled this copies to one of the AP documents and then he filed those away and gave me back my passport and one of the stamped AP documents and a stamped I-94 then he told me that i was paroled for only one day and to not lose the I-94 because I would need it if i ever adjusted status.

I was then escorted back to my vehicle in which my wife and son were waiting, another officer inspected our vehicle and we were cleared to go home with my AP document and I-94 stamped. The whole process took approximately 1 1/2 hrs, it was nerve-wrecking for my wife and I but it seemed like all the officers were familiar with DACA people traveling with Advance Parole and knew who to process it. I would definitely recommend it as it seems relatively safe.

I have now cleared my EWI via Advance Parole and have started working on my AOS package which i plan to submit before Thanksgiving. My only questions are, what does it mean to be paroled for only one day? i have read here of some people who have been paroled for a year, does being paroled for only one day affect my current DACA status? and does it matter if he did not stamp my passport but did stamp the I-94 and AP document?

thanks everyone for reading this loooong rambling jumble of words, I also apologize in advance for formatting and misspelling errors, it is my first time posting here!

thank you,

Originally Posted by Fenix

I left the US on oct 23. I came back last week. Everything went fine at the airport and I didn't mind the 3-4 hour hold up. A plane from asia had arrived just before mine and the visitors line was huge. The officer just asked me basic questions like where do I work and how long I stayed in mexico. He stamped my passport but kept both of my AP letters. Now, I have been trying to retrieve my I-94 is not showing up. I called my nearest deferred inspection site and they told me to go to their office in SF. Im going on weds to see what went wrong. I'll let you guys know how it goes.

Originally Posted by krz86

Hello guys,
I just want to share my experience with AP. I traveled to Peru for humanitarian reasons, I visited my grandmother who had hip surgery. It was pretty simple when going to Peru, I just showed my Peruvian passport and I was good to go. On my way back, in Lima at the airport, I showed my passport and AP paperwork, the agent gave my tickets. I traveled to Atlanta and did customs there. In Atlanta there is a sign that said " parole documents". I asked a lady where was that line and she took me there. I gave my passport and AP paperwork to the CPB agent, I waited about 15 minutes and he called my name, he requested my fingerprints and picture. After that the only question he asked was: what are the last 4 digits of your SSN, after that he spent about 10 more minutes and I was good to go. He gave me both AP papers, only one had the stamp and he also stamped my passport.
It was pretty simple, I encourage everyone to apply. People in Atlanta are very aware about AP,

Originally Posted by emdizzle

Hey DACA nation. I was approved for DACA in Nov 2014 and now I only have a year left before my DACA will expire and I'll have to renew..

In the meantime, I'd like to submit a request to travel on AP. I'm going to consult an immigration attorney since my case is kinda interesting, but I also wanted to run my situation by you guys to see what you think.

In short, I was born in the Philippines and was adopted a year after I was born by US Citizens. At the age of two, I came to the US with my adoptive parents and have been here ever since. In 2011, I located my biological family on Facebook! I learned I had two older brothers and that my parent's were still alive. We kept in touch and I planned to go visit them once I graduated from college in 2013. The year I graduated, I also learned upon applying for a US passport that my US parents never secured my citizenship as a minor, so I had no legal status!!! Both of my adoptive parents have passed away so I was stuck in immigration purgatory Luckily, I met with an attorney and learned that I qualified for DACA and was able to gain temporary legal status.

I still keep in touch with my biological family and recently learned that my mother will need to have surgery because they found tumors on her uterus. Although this isn't a life-threatening condition or ailment, do you think I have a strong case to travel under a humanitarian purpose? I know most of these threads consist of DACA recipients requesting AP to visit their family in their home countries, but does it hurt my case if I'm adopted?

I feel like my case is unique, but I don't know if it's strong enough. Lmk your thoughts, please

Thanks for your time!

Originally Posted by shebashayne

Congrats on finding your birth family. IMO, you have an excellent case for humanitarian AP. Copies of your adoption docs, a letter from her doctor confirming the surgery, plus a good letter by you should do the trick. I'd also advise you requesting a multiple entry (1 yr) AP doc so that you can go and visit your family again if your trip goes well. Should you be denied you can always have your boss write a note and apply for vocational AP or find a program of study in the Phillipines and apply for educational AP. Good luck.

Originally Posted by emdizzle

Interesting. Why did the officer keep your paperwork? Did you insist on keeping it? At least you have the passport stamped. Don't lose your passport!