DHS Announces $1,000 Immigration Parole Fee Under HR-1

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will begin charging a new Immigration Parole Fee of $1,000 for most people who are paroled into the United States, following the enactment of HR-1. The policy takes effect on the date of publication in the Federal Register, which is October 16, 2025, and applies even if a person’s parole request was filed or pending before that date, as long as the actual grant of parole happens on or after the effective date. DHS announced the change in a notice scheduled for publication in the Federal Register and available online at FederalRegister.gov and GovInfo.gov.

Legal Basis and Scope of the Fee

The fee applies under the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) section 212(d)(5)(A), which authorizes the Secretary of Homeland Security to grant parole on a case-by-case basis for urgent humanitarian reasons or a significant public benefit.

DHS clarifies that the fee attaches only when parole is actually granted and put into effect—either at a U.S. port of entry or for someone already physically present in the United States. The fee does not attach when a request is filed or when a travel document is issued. The agencies involved—U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)—will issue guidance and, if needed, update forms and instructions.

HR-1, signed on July 4, 2025, in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, created several new immigration-related fees in addition to any other fees allowed by law. These fees are set for Fiscal Year 2025 and are subject to annual increases tied to the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers. DHS previously announced other HR-1 fees and noted in a July 22, 2025 USCIS notice that the parole fee required additional work because of multiple exceptions. According to VisaVerge.com, DHS has completed its review and moved to implement the fee with those exceptions in place.

Policy Changes Overview

DHS interprets HR-1 to require payment each time a person is granted parole under INA 212(d)(5)(A). This includes:

1. Initial parole for someone outside the United States who comes to a port of entry.
2. Congressionally authorized “parole in place” for those already in the United States.
3. Re-parole.
4. Parole from DHS custody for those physically present in the country.

DHS emphasizes the “operative event” for the Immigration Parole Fee is the grant and effectuation of parole, not the filing of the request. Therefore, the fee applies to any parole granted on or after the effective date—even if the related request was filed or remained pending before publication.

How the Fee Attaches and Who Decides

• CBP has final discretion to grant parole at ports of entry.
• USCIS and ICE have final discretion to grant parole for applicants already in the United States within their respective areas.
• The INA allows temporary parole “under such conditions” as DHS may set; DHS may end parole when its purpose is served and the case returns to normal processing as an application for admission.

Exceptions to the $1,000 Fee

The law provides ten narrow exceptions. An applicant must demonstrate, to the satisfaction of the Secretary of Homeland Security, that their parole falls under one of these exceptions. DHS will not assess the fee if one of the exceptions applies:

• The person has a medical emergency and cannot obtain needed treatment where they live abroad; or the emergency is life-threatening and there is not enough time to seek a visa through the normal process.
• The person is the parent or legal guardian of a minor who qualifies under the medical emergency exception above.
• The person is needed in the United States to donate an organ or other tissue for a transplant, and there is not enough time to obtain a visa through the normal process.
• The person has a close family member in the United States whose death is imminent, and the person could not arrive in time through the normal visa process.
• The person seeks to attend a close family member’s funeral, and could not arrive in time through the normal visa process.
• The person is an adopted child with an urgent medical condition, is in the legal custody of the petitioner for a final adoption-related visa, and needs treatment before the final visa is expected.
• The person is a lawful applicant for adjustment of status under INA section 245 (8 U.S.C. 1255) and is returning to the United States after temporary travel abroad.
• The person was returned to a bordering country under INA 235(b)(2)(C) (8 U.S.C. 1225(b)(2)(C)) and is being paroled into the United States to attend their immigration hearing.
• The person has been granted the status of Cuban and Haitian entrant (as defined in section 501(e) of the Refugee Education Assistance Act of 1980).
• The Secretary of Homeland Security determines that the parole produces a significant public benefit related to a law enforcement matter, where the person has helped or will help the U.S. Government, their presence is required for that matter, they are inadmissible or do not qualify for admission as a nonimmigrant, or there is not enough time to seek a visa through the normal process.

DHS notes it will not charge the fee if it in its discretion finds the person meets one of these ten exceptions.

Important: The burden is on the applicant to show they qualify for an exception to DHS’s satisfaction. Absent an accepted exception, the $1,000 fee applies when parole is granted.

Impact on Applicants and the Collection Process

DHS details how each component will collect the fee:

• CBP (ports of entry)
  • CBP officers will collect the fee from people who present at a U.S. port of entry and request parole.
  • If CBP decides to grant parole and the person does not qualify for an exception, CBP will notify the person that the fee applies and provide payment instructions effective on the date of publication.
• ICE (parole from custody inside U.S.)
  • ICE will collect the fee when it grants parole for people in its custody or responsibility who are inside the United States.
  • ICE will notify those individuals and provide payment instructions.
• USCIS (parole in place and re-parole for people physically present in U.S.)
  • Starting on the publication date, when USCIS plans to grant a Form I-131 request for those types of parole, it will first issue a conditional approval stating the approval is conditioned on payment of the $1,000 HR-1 parole fee.
  • The notice will include payment instructions and a deadline. USCIS will grant parole only after the fee is paid.
  • If the person does not pay within the time listed in the conditional approval, USCIS will deny the request.

USCIS states this process relies on the existing Form I-131, Application for Travel Document (OMB control number 1615-0013) and does not require edits to the form or its instructions. Form I-131 is available at USCIS: Form I-131.

Practical Steps by Agency (Summary)

• For CBP parole at ports of entry: officers will inform the person if the fee applies and provide payment steps after a favorable parole decision.
• For ICE parole from custody: ICE will notify the person and provide payment steps.
• For USCIS parole in place or re-parole: USCIS will issue a conditional approval with a payment deadline; failure to pay leads to denial.

Relationship to Other HR-1 Fees and Timing

The DHS notice clarifies that the Immigration Parole Fee is separate from other HR-1 fees allowed by law and by the Secretary of Homeland Security. HR-1 sets these fees for FY 2025 with annual CPI adjustments.

DHS previously issued three notices implementing other HR-1 fees:
– USCIS notice on July 22, 2025
– CBP notice on August 28, 2025
– DHS enforcement-related fees notice on September 8, 2025

DHS explained in July it delayed the parole fee to work through exceptions; it now states it can implement the fee without further delay.

Statutory Citations, Paperwork, and Procedural Notes

• The notice points to HR-1, Title X, Subtitle A, Part I, sections 100001 through 100018 as the statutory basis for these fees.
• It also cites INA provisions that govern parole and component coordination among CBP, USCIS, and ICE.
• The Paperwork Reduction Act review is addressed: DHS explains the collection uses the existing Form I-131 (OMB control number 1615-0013) and does not require changes to the form or its instructions. Filing tools remain in place while the fee is collected at the point of parole approval as explained by each component.

A House markup page describes the legislation as “a mandate to restore immigration integrity, security, and enforcement.” The congressional event reference is available at Congress.gov event page.

Contacts and Next Steps

DHS states CBP, ICE, and USCIS will share additional instructions after publication, including any updates to payment methods and procedural notices. Agency contact points listed in the notice:

• ICE Office of Regulatory Affairs and Policy
  500 12th Street SW, Washington, DC 20536
  Telephone: (202) 732-6960

• USCIS Office of Chief Financial Officer
  5900 Capital Gateway Drive, Camp Springs, MD 20746
  Telephone: (240) 721-3000

• CBP Office of Field Operations
  1300 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Suite 1500N, Washington, DC 20229
  E-mail: [email protected]

Key Takeaways

• The $1,000 Immigration Parole Fee is effective October 16, 2025, and attaches when parole is granted and effectuated, not when a request is filed.
• The fee applies to multiple forms of parole (initial parole at ports of entry, parole in place, re-parole, and parole from DHS custody).
• There are ten narrow exceptions; applicants must prove the exception to DHS’s satisfaction to avoid the fee.
• Each DHS component (CBP, ICE, USCIS) will collect the fee according to its authority and will provide payment instructions; USCIS will condition parole grants on payment for covered I-131 approvals.
• Official text and updates are available at FederalRegister.gov and GovInfo.gov.