Immigrants paroled into the United States will have to start paying $1,000 as part of a provision from President Donald Trump’s tax and spending package that goes into effect Thursday.
The measure is aimed at immigrants requesting temporary permission to enter and live in the U.S. while they seek an avenue to remain in the country lawfully. It also comes as parole approval is sharply declining and pending applications accumulate.
From April through June, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services approved 73% of the parole requests it processed, compared to 82% during the same time frame last year, according to the agency’s latest data. The predominantly bureaucratic agency has made efforts to expand its immigration enforcement operations during the second Trump administration.
In the third quarter of this fiscal year, USCIS saw a 58% decrease in the number of parole applications it processed compared with the same period last year, with 410,416 applications still pending.
The agency’s Wednesday press release about the fee going into effect states that the agency’s “critical work does not stop during the Democrats’ government shutdown.” While fees immigrants pay fuel most of USCIS’ operations, the agency’s director, Joseph Edlow, said on X prioritization of national security concerns may impact processing times during the lapse in government funding.
Entering the country with parole has become increasingly difficult during Trump’s second term, but Ukrainians and Afghans who fled the wars in their countries are some of the immigrants still eligible for temporary permission to live in the U.S.
“It’s a lot harder for people outside the United States to get humanitarian parole to come to the United States, even if they could afford the fee,” said Julia Gelatt, associate director of the U.S. immigration policy program at the Migration Policy Institute. “I just think that’s a pathway that is much narrower under the Trump administration, especially than it was under President Biden.”
The agency plans to notify immigrants that they must pay the $1,000 fee before their parole application is granted, according to the agency’s press release.
People seeking entry into the country to receive medical treatment, attend a funeral, participate in a law enforcement investigation, or those coming back from temporary travel won’t have to pay the fee.
Once granted parole, immigrants can then apply for work authorization.
In September, the Trump administration announced a $100,000 visa fee for companies hiring high-skilled foreign workers.