The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced a new parole process for family members of US citizens or permanent residents with approved family-based petitions from Colombia, Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala. According to DHS, qualified family members will be eligible to apply, upon invitation, for parole to join their family members in the United States while they await their immigrant visas.
It is estimated that as many as 73,500 persons from these countries have already been approved for a visa but are caught in a visa backlog, keeping them separated from their families for years.