Some Help for Green Card Applicants

The card looks similar to the current Employment Authorization Document (EAD) but will include the words, “Serves as I-512 Advance Parole.” A card with these words can be used as both an employment authorization and Advance Parole document.

An applicant may receive this combination card when he or she files an Application for Employment Authorization, Form I-765, and an Application for Travel Document, Form I-131, either at the same time as filing the application for Adjustment of Status, or after filing that application.

The combined Advance Parole and employment authorization card allows an applicant for adjustment of status to travel abroad and return to the U.S. without abandoning the pending adjustment application. When returning to the U.S., the card must be presented to the immigration officer to request parole. The decision to permit re-entry is made at the port-of-entry.

Does the combined EAD and Advance Parole Card guarantee re-entry to the US after travel abroad? For most people “yes”. For some people “no”. If you have been unlawfully present in the U.S. and then leave and try to re-enter, you may be refused entry and may be ineligible to adjust status.

With the new card, adjustment of status applicants no longer will have to carry both an EAD and a separate paper Advance Parole document while awaiting adjudication of their Form I-485 applications. Instead, applicants will only have to carry this one credit card-sized card. The new card is more secure and more durable than the current paper Advance Parole document. 

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Q5. How much does this combined card cost? A5. You will pay only one fee to file Form I-485, Form I-765 and Form I-131. The fee for Form I-485 is $1,070, ($985 plus $85 biometric fee). There is no separate fee for Forms I-765 and I-131 that are filed at the same time as a Form I-485.

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Q6. How long is this card valid? A6. Based on the availability of an immigrant visa, USCIS will usually issue this card for a period of one or two years.

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Q7. What if I already have an EAD or an Advance Parole document? A7. You can get the new combined card when your present work permit and I-131 have less than 120 days validity. You would need to file the Forms I-765 and I-131 simultaneously, with the required fees.