The $1,050 Parole Fee and Advance Parole: Who Is Exempt, Who Pays and What to Carry at the Airport

The $1,050 parole fee is real, but USCIS lists an exception written for I-485 applicants coming home from a trip. Here is what it says and what to carry.

Part of our guide to Form I-485.

If you have a pending Form I-485 and plan to travel on advance parole this winter, do not assume you owe the new $1,050 parole fee. As of November 1, 2026, the answer to the advance parole fee 2026 question has two parts. Form I-131 costs $630 on paper or $580 online (in effect, USCIS fee schedule G-1055, edition 10/26/26). A separate $1,050 immigration parole fee (in effect since October 16, 2026) is charged only if parole is granted, is collected by CBP at the port of entry for advance parole documents, and has an exception written for adjustment applicants returning from temporary travel abroad.

Status line (as of 2026-11-01). In effect: the $1,050 parole fee under Pub. L. 119-21 (the law usually called H.R. 1), raised from $1,020 on 2026-10-16 by the FY2027 inflation notice (91 FR 62540); I-131 at $630 / $580 under G-1055 edition 10/26/26; and Matter of Delcarmen-Lara (BIA, 2026-08-13), applied prospectively. Grace period ending: USCIS accepts I-131 and I-485 packages at the old mailing addresses only if they are postmarked on or before 2026-11-09. In effect, challenged: USCIS memo PM-602-0199, which calls adjustment "extraordinary relief," is challenged in AAUP v. Mullin, with no ruling as of 2026-11-01.

Do I have to pay the $1,050 parole fee with a pending I-485?

Not automatically. USCIS fee schedule G-1055 (edition 10/26/26) lists the $1,050 immigration parole fee as an additional fee charged only if parole is granted, and exception (7) excuses someone who is a lawful applicant for adjustment of status under INA 245 and is returning after temporary travel abroad. CBP decides at the port whether the exception applies.

Here is the text of exception (7), from the G-1055 fee schedule PDF:

"(7) the alien -- (A) is a lawful applicant for adjustment of status under INA 245; and (B) is returning to the United States after temporary travel abroad"

Both parts must be true: (A) points at your pending I-485, (B) at a temporary trip. G-1055 does not define "lawful applicant"; our reading is that it describes a properly filed I-485 that is still pending. If yours was denied, is the subject of a motion, or has an open RFE or NOID, ask an immigration attorney before you travel.

Two more lines on that page matter. "You cannot request a fee waiver for any fees required by Pub. L. 119-21," so Form I-912 does not help. And the fee applies "unless USCIS or CBP determines that you qualify for one of the exceptions," so the officer, not the traveler, decides whether an exception applies.

How much does Form I-131 advance parole cost in 2026?

For an advance parole document based on a pending I-485, Form I-131 costs $630 on paper or $580 online, paid at filing. It costs $0 if you filed your I-485 on or after July 30, 2007 and before April 1, 2024, paid the I-485 fee, and the I-485 is still pending. The $1,050 parole fee is a different charge, arising at a different time, collected by a different agency.

Advance parole costs for I-485 applicants (as of 2026-11)

Source: USCIS G-1055, edition 10/26/26, and the FY2027 inflation notice at 91 FR 62540. Since 2025-10-28 USCIS takes filing fees by card (Form G-1450) or ACH debit (Form G-1650), not by check, unless you qualify for a G-1651 exemption. For the rest of the green card bill, including medicals and dependents, see our full I-485 fee breakdown for 2026.

Common misconception. "Advance parole now costs $630 plus $1,050, so budget $1,680," or the $1,000 figure some pages still quote from 2025. Correction (as of 2026-11-01): the I-131 fee is $630 or $580. The parole fee has been $1,050 since 2026-10-16, is not paid with the I-131, arises only if parole is granted, and exception (7) covers lawful adjustment applicants returning after temporary travel abroad.

Who collects the parole fee, and when?

For an advance parole document issued while you are inside the United States, CBP collects the parole fee at the port of entry, when you present the document and ask to be paroled in. G-1055 labels that row "fee collected by CBP." USCIS collects it for requests it decides inside the country, such as parole in place and re-parole.

The fee is tied to each parole, not to each document. G-1055 says: "This fee is applicable each time you seek parole at the POE." Three trips on one multiple-entry document mean three parole requests and three fee decisions, with exception (7) assessed each time. G-1055 lists the fee as an "Additional Fee if Approved," so it does not ask you to send $1,050 with your I-131.

Who is exempt from the parole fee?

G-1055 lists ten statutory exceptions. Exception (7) is the one written for adjustment applicants. The other nine are narrow: (1) and (2) a medical emergency, and the parent or guardian of a minor in one; (3) an organ or tissue donor; (4) and (5) a close family member's imminent death or funeral when the visa process is too slow; (6) an adopted child with an urgent medical condition; (8) a person returned to a contiguous country under INA 235(b)(2)(C) to attend a hearing; (9) a Cuban and Haitian entrant; and (10) a significant public benefit in a law enforcement matter. Since 2026-02-05, by court order in Ms. L. v. ICE, the fee also does not apply to Ms. L. settlement class members and their qualifying family members.

Who pays, then? By our reading, exception (7) reaches only lawful adjustment applicants. A traveler whose advance parole rests on something else, such as a pending asylum application or DACA, with no I-485 pending, would need a different exception to avoid the $1,050, and that is a question for an attorney. For a lawful adjustment applicant returning from a temporary trip, exception (7) is the provision to know.

Do H-1B, L-1 and H-4 holders even need advance parole this winter?

Not always. The Form I-131 instructions (edition 01/20/25) say USCIS "generally will consider their Form I-485 abandoned if they leave the United States without first obtaining an Advance Parole Document." They then list exceptions for H-1 workers and H-4 family members, L-1 transferees and L-2 family members, and K and V classes, for travelers who remain eligible for and admissible in that category. A traveler admitted on a valid H-1B or L-1 visa is admitted in that status, not paroled, so by our reading the parole fee does not arise.

The catch is the visa: such travelers "must present a valid H, L, K, or V nonimmigrant visa and must be otherwise admissible." Since 2025-10-01, H-1B, H-4 and L applicants, renewals included, interview in person under the State Department's interview waiver update, and since 2025-09-06 they generally apply in their country of nationality or residence. Check the live Global Visa Wait Times page rather than any figure quoted in a post. Our guide to traveling on your H-1B visa while the I-485 is pending walks through each condition.

The document you return on matters beyond the fee. A return on advance parole is a parole, not an H-4 admission; read how a return on advance parole can affect an H-4 EAD or STEM OPT before an H-4 spouse chooses. If your I-485 rests on an EB-1A or NIW self-petition, see EAD and advance parole while a self-petition is pending for the combo card.

On F-1 or OPT with no I-485 pending, advance parole and this fee do not apply. D/S still applies, because the D/S final rule has been blocked by a federal court since 2026-09-14 (summary judgment briefed; DHS's appeal pending). Your DSO's travel signature on the I-20 is the document to check.

Is traveling on advance parole risky after Matter of Delcarmen-Lara?

It can be, for anyone with past unlawful presence. The USCIS Form I-131 page says that Matter of Delcarmen-Lara, 29 I&N Dec. 830 (BIA 2026), overruled Matter of Arrabally and Yerrabelly (2012), and that "departing the United States after obtaining an Advance Parole Document is a departure for purposes of inadmissibility." Under INA 212(a)(9)(B)(i), a person who accrued more than 180 days of unlawful presence and then departs may be inadmissible on return. The BIA applied the decision prospectively, from 2026-08-13.

A lapse in status and unlawful presence are not the same thing, and the counting rules are technical. If there is any period in your history when you were out of status, have a licensed immigration attorney check the count before you book.

Other I-131 warnings apply regardless of the fee: the document "does NOT entitle an alien to parole," DHS makes "a separate discretionary decision" each time you present it, and DHS can revoke it while you are abroad. Separately, USCIS's May 2026 memo calls adjustment "a matter of discretion and administrative grace"; see our explainer on USCIS memo PM-602-0199 on adjustment as discretion.

What to carry at the airport when you return on advance parole

G-1055 does not say what proves exception (7). These steps gather documents that show the two facts it turns on. Your attorney may add more.

1. Confirm that your advance parole document (Form I-512L, or a combo card that also serves as advance parole) is approved, in your hand, and valid through your planned return date. On a combo card, check the work side too: under the final rule of 2026-10-14, an EAD renewal filed on or after 2025-10-30 gets no automatic extension.
2. Check in your USCIS online account that the I-485 is still pending, and save a dated copy of the case status page.
3. Pack your passport, the advance parole document, the I-485 receipt notice (Form I-797C) and the I-131 approval notice, plus copies of any H-1B or H-4 approval notices.
4. Print a return itinerary showing a temporary trip, the second element of exception (7).
5. Arrange for someone to watch your mail and USCIS online account. The I-131 instructions warn that if you miss a notice, such as a request for evidence, "USCIS may deem their application abandoned."
6. Present the advance parole document to the CBP officer at the port of entry and answer questions truthfully. If the fee comes up, your I-485 receipt shows the facts exception (7) turns on. The officer's decision controls.
7. Download your I-94 within a few days and check the class of admission and dates; see how to download your most recent I-94.

A worked example: one December trip

Suppose you are an H-1B worker with an employment-based I-485 filed in 2025 and still pending. You hold an approved combo card valid to mid-2027, and your H-1B visa stamp expired earlier in 2026. You want to fly home on Saturday, December 19, 2026 and return on Sunday, January 3, 2027.

Two variations change the picture. With a valid H-1B visa stamp, and if you remain eligible for H-1B status, the I-131 instructions' H-1 exception may let you return as an H-1B worker, which is an admission rather than a parole, so by our reading no parole fee arises; confirm the fit with your attorney. And if you have not filed an I-131 yet, parole is probably out of reach for this trip. The USCIS processing times tool showed 26.5 months for I-131 advance parole when we read it on 2026-11-01 (80% of cases completed within that time), and USCIS's quarterly data showed 425,511 advance parole applications pending in FY2026 Q3. For an urgent need to travel, the I-131 page points to USCIS's expedite requests process.

Advance parole fee 2026: old rule, new rule

Common mistakes

• Budgeting $1,680, or quoting $1,000 or $1,020. The $630 filing fee and the $1,050 parole fee are separate, and the parole fee has an exception for returning adjustment applicants.
• Sending the parole fee with the I-131. It is an additional fee if approved, collected by CBP for advance parole documents.
• Assuming one exception covers every trip. Each return is a new parole request and a new fee decision.
• Not deciding which document to travel on. An H-1B or L-1 worker with a valid stamp may be able to return in that status, and an H-4 spouse's choice can affect an H-4 EAD; settle it with your attorney before booking.
• Ignoring old unlawful presence. After Delcarmen-Lara, leaving on advance parole is a departure for the unlawful-presence ground.
• Leaving with the I-131 still pending. USCIS generally treats the I-485 as abandoned if you leave without an advance parole document, unless an H, L, K or V exception applies.

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to pay the $1,050 parole fee with a pending I-485?

Not automatically. The $1,050 fee (in effect since October 16, 2026) is charged only if parole is granted, and G-1055 exception (7) covers a lawful adjustment applicant returning after temporary travel abroad. CBP decides at the port, so carry proof your I-485 is pending.

How much does Form I-131 advance parole cost in 2026?

$630 on paper or $580 online (G-1055 edition 10/26/26), or $0 with a still-pending, fee-paid I-485 filed from July 30, 2007 through March 31, 2024. The $1,050 parole fee is separate and not paid with the application, so $1,680 overstates the cost whenever the adjustment-applicant exception applies.

Who collects the parole fee?

CBP, at the port of entry, for advance parole documents, each time you seek parole. USCIS collects it for requests decided inside the United States, such as parole in place and re-parole. Form I-912 cannot waive it.

What documents support the parole fee exemption?

G-1055 lists none. Exception (7) turns on two facts, a pending adjustment application under INA 245 and a temporary trip, shown by the I-485 receipt (Form I-797C), the advance parole document or combo card, a current USCIS case status and a return itinerary. CBP makes the final call.

Is traveling on advance parole risky after the Delcarmen-Lara decision?

It can be. Matter of Delcarmen-Lara (BIA, August 13, 2026) overruled Arrabally and Yerrabelly and treats leaving on advance parole as a departure for INA 212(a)(9)(B)(i), prospectively. Anyone who may have more than 180 days of past unlawful presence should have an immigration attorney review the trip before booking.

Sources

• USCIS, Form G-1055 fee schedule (landing page) and G-1055 PDF, edition 10/26/26
• USCIS, Form I-131 page and Form I-131 instructions, edition 01/20/25
• Federal Register, FY2027 inflation adjustment of H.R. 1 fees, 91 FR 62540
• USCIS, filing locations and online filing options updates
• USCIS processing times tool and USCIS immigration and citizenship data
• Federal Register, removal of automatic EAD extensions, final rule of 2026-10-14
• State Department, interview waiver update and Global Visa Wait Times

How we checked this: on 2026-11-01 we read the G-1055 PDF (edition 10/26/26), the USCIS Form I-131 page, the I-131 instructions (edition 01/20/25), the FY2027 inflation notice (91 FR 62540) and the USCIS filing-locations page, and took the I-131 processing time and pending count from the USCIS processing tool and FY2026 Q3 data as read that day.

This is general information, not legal or tax advice. Your own notices, I-94 and advance parole document govern, and decisions about a specific trip belong with a licensed immigration attorney (or your DSO for anything F-1, OPT or SEVIS).

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