The Cuban Family Reunification Parole Program (CFRP) and Form I-130
The Cuban Family Reunification Parole Program was created in 2007 and allows certain eligible United States citizens and lawful permanent residents to apply for parole for family members in Cuba. After completing the process, if approved, these family members are allowed to come to the U.S. without waiting for their visas to become current. After coming to the U.S., CFRP beneficiaries are encouraged to apply for work authorization while they go through the process to become a legal permanent resident.
The official website of the Department of Homeland Security urges Cuban refugees who are looking to seek asylum in the United States, to not attempt to come to the U.S. by boat; it is life-threatening and you will NOT be able to qualify for the CFRP Program if you do so.
Eligibility requirements for CFRP are as follows:
- You must be either a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident (LPR)
- You have a completed and approved Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative, for a Cuban family member
- An immigrant visa is not yet available for said relative
- You received an invitation from the Department of State’s National Visa Center (NVC) to take part in the CFRP Program
- The family member that you are applying for must be a Cuban national, residing in Cuba
- The family member that you are applying for must have a petitioner who has been invited by the CFRP Program
Reminder: The CFRP Program is by NVC invitation only.
The Department of Homeland Security wants to remind U.S. citizens that this process is not for immediate relatives; such as: spouses, unmarried children under the age of 21, or parents of U.S. citizens over the age of 21. For the aforementioned relatives, they can immediately apply for immigrant visas once their Form I-130 is approved. Moreover, you may not file a Form I-130 if you are an adopted child, a natural parent if the U.S. citizen son or daughter received permanent residence via adoption, a stepparent or stepchild if the marriage occurred after the son or daughter’s 18th birthday, a spouse who gained permanent residence via marriage, etc.
Filing Fees for Form I-130:
Individual filing fees for Form I-130 may vary, depending on how many relatives you wish to sponsor and whether or not you seek the help of an immigration attorney. Since 2014, the filing fee for I-130 has been $420 for each separate “immediate relative” that you are filing for. However, if you are a permanent resident sponsoring more than one relative, they may qualify as “derivative” relatives, in which you would not have to submit multiple I-130s for. Be sure to check the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) website to stay up-to-date with Form I-130 filing fees, as they change regularly.
For more requirements and information on Form I-130, visit the official website for the Department of Homeland Security, USCIS at http://www.uscis.gov/
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