The Department of Homeland Security quietly began collecting a $1,000 immigration-parole fee on 16 October, but policy analysts drew business-mobility attention when the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) dissected the measure in a 22 October brief. Parole allows foreign nationals with urgent humanitarian needs—or those deemed a “significant public benefit”—to enter the United States temporarily and often work while awaiting other immigration relief.
FAIR argues that previous administrations used parole as an expansive back door for hundreds of thousands of migrants, including beneficiaries of the CBP One mobile-app program. By attaching a substantial price tag, DHS hopes to curb demand and recoup some social-service costs. The fee applies even to requests already pending, though DHS listed narrow exemptions for organ donors, life-threatening medical cases and law-enforcement witnesses.
From a corporate-mobility perspective, the change may affect dependent family members of foreign assignees who enter on parole while awaiting visa appointments, as well as parole-in-place programs used by defense contractors. Companies sponsoring humanitarian travel for executives’ relatives must now budget the new fee and adjust relocation policies accordingly.
Immigration advocates say the cost will price out low-income applicants, potentially separating families longer, while restrictionist groups hail the move as restoring parole to its statutory “case-by-case” roots. DHS has not indicated whether the amount will rise with inflation in FY 2026.
FAIR argues that previous administrations used parole as an expansive back door for hundreds of thousands of migrants, including beneficiaries of the CBP One mobile-app program. By attaching a substantial price tag, DHS hopes to curb demand and recoup some social-service costs. The fee applies even to requests already pending, though DHS listed narrow exemptions for organ donors, life-threatening medical cases and law-enforcement witnesses.
From a corporate-mobility perspective, the change may affect dependent family members of foreign assignees who enter on parole while awaiting visa appointments, as well as parole-in-place programs used by defense contractors. Companies sponsoring humanitarian travel for executives’ relatives must now budget the new fee and adjust relocation policies accordingly.
Immigration advocates say the cost will price out low-income applicants, potentially separating families longer, while restrictionist groups hail the move as restoring parole to its statutory “case-by-case” roots. DHS has not indicated whether the amount will rise with inflation in FY 2026.
