Form I-131, Application for Travel Document, is the single USCIS form that covers four different travel needs: a Re-entry Permit for permanent residents, a Refugee Travel Document for asylees and refugees, Advance Parole for adjustment-of-status applicants, and humanitarian parole. The eligibility rules, required evidence, filing location, and biometrics requirements are different for each — Imverica prepares the correct I-131 track for your situation at your direction.
Re-entry Permit — for permanent residents
A lawful permanent resident who expects to stay outside the United States for one year or more (and up to two years) files Form I-131 for a Re-entry Permit before leaving the US. The permit preserves the green card from being treated as abandoned. The applicant must be physically present in the US when biometrics are taken — plan ahead. Re-entry Permits are typically valid for two years and cannot be renewed; LPRs who need more time must return to the US and apply again.
Refugee Travel Document — for asylees and refugees
A person granted asylum, an asylee derivative, or a refugee can use a Refugee Travel Document to travel internationally instead of a home-country passport (using the home-country passport may raise questions about the well-founded fear of persecution). Refugee Travel Documents are valid for up to one year. Travel to the country of claimed persecution is highly cautioned and may result in termination of asylum or refugee status — this is a legal-strategy decision; consult an immigration attorney before traveling there.
Advance Parole — for pending I-485 applicants
An adjustment-of-status applicant with a pending Form I-485 must obtain Advance Parole on Form I-131 before leaving the United States. Departing without Advance Parole generally results in USCIS treating the I-485 as abandoned. There are narrow exceptions (e.g. certain H-1B / L-1 applicants who maintain that nonimmigrant status). Advance Parole is often filed concurrently with the I-485 and I-765 and may be approved on a combined EAD/AP card.
Humanitarian Parole — bringing someone into the US
Humanitarian parole is a discretionary request to allow a person who is otherwise inadmissible into the United States for an urgent humanitarian reason or significant public benefit. The petitioner usually files Form I-131 with a Form I-134 (Declaration of Financial Support) and detailed evidence of the emergency and the inability to wait for normal visa processing. Approval rates are low and the standard is high — we prepare the package accurately so the strongest case is in front of USCIS.
What we prepare
- Form I-131 with the correct Part 2 application type selected (Re-entry Permit, Refugee Travel Document, Advance Parole, or Humanitarian Parole)
- Supporting evidence — copy of green card, I-94, I-485 receipt, prior travel documents, marriage/birth certificates, asylum grant notice, refugee approval, or evidence of the emergency for humanitarian parole
- Form I-134 — Declaration of Financial Support, when a humanitarian-parole beneficiary needs a sponsor
- Form I-912 — Request for Fee Waiver, when the applicant qualifies based on income or means-tested benefits
What we do not do
Imverica is a California Legal Document Assistant and Immigration Consultant. We prepare documents accurately at your direction. We do not give legal advice — we cannot tell you whether traveling to a specific country will jeopardize your asylum, recommend whether to seek Advance Parole vs. consular processing, or assess the strength of a humanitarian-parole case. Those decisions are yours (or your attorney's). For removal-proceedings travel or complex inadmissibility issues we refer you to a licensed California immigration attorney.
Statutory authority: INA §223 (refugee travel documents); INA §212(d)(5) (parole); 8 C.F.R. §§212.5, 223 (procedure); USCIS Policy Manual Volume 11 (Travel Documents). Document preparation only — not legal advice.