The Family Reunification Parole process for Guatemalans let a US citizen or permanent resident with an approved family petition bring a Guatemalan relative to the United States before the immigrant visa was available. It no longer exists. This page gives the dates, what the termination notice says, what a federal court has paused, and the route that is left.
In short: DHS created FRP for Guatemalans on July 10, 2023 and terminated it as of December 15, 2025 (Federal Register notice 2025-22744). The notice set January 14, 2026 as the end of parole for people already paroled in. On January 24, 2026 a federal court in Massachusetts stayed that part, and USCIS says the parole-termination notices it sent are not currently in effect while the injunction lasts. New FRP requests are over. The route that remains for a relative with an approved I-130 is the immigrant visa, with the interview at the US Embassy in Guatemala City. General information, not legal advice.
Timeline
| Date | What happened | Source |
|---|---|---|
| July 10, 2023 | DHS begins using Form I-134A for a new FRP process for Guatemalans (88 FR 43581) | Federal Register 2023-14473 |
| December 15, 2025 | DHS terminates the FRP processes for Colombians, Cubans, Ecuadorians, Guatemalans, Haitians, Hondurans and Salvadorans (90 FR 58032) | Federal Register 2025-22744 |
| January 10, 2026 | Temporary restraining order pauses the termination of FRP parole and work authorization until January 24 | Justice Action Center (plaintiffs’ counsel) |
| January 14, 2026 | Date the notice set for existing FRP parole to end | Federal Register 2025-22744 |
| January 24, 2026 | Preliminary injunction: the court stays the notice to the extent it ends previously granted parole and work authorization before the original end dates | USCIS FRP page |
| September 24, 2026 | USCIS’s FRP page still carries the litigation alert (page last updated January 27, 2026) | USCIS FRP page |
We did not read the court docket; neither USCIS’s page (read September 24, 2026, last updated January 27, 2026) nor plaintiffs’ counsel’s case page (read September 25, 2026) shows a later ruling. An appeal or a stay could change this. Re-check uscis.gov/FRP before relying on this timeline.
What FRP was
The 2023 notice described the process this way: certain Guatemalan principal beneficiaries of an approved Form I-130 and their immediate family members would receive advance authorization to travel to the United States and seek a discretionary grant of parole for a period of up to three years, instead of waiting outside the United States for their immigrant visas.
How it worked, per USCIS:
- It was by invitation only. Invitations went by mail or email to certain petitioners whose I-130 was already approved, using the contact details held by the National Visa Center.
- The invited petitioner filed Form I-134A (a request to be a supporter and declaration of financial support), one per beneficiary.
- If USCIS confirmed it, DHS vetted the beneficiary and considered advance travel authorization.
- The beneficiary flew to a US airport and asked CBP for parole, which was discretionary.
- Once paroled, the beneficiary could ask for work authorization and, when the immigrant visa became available, apply to adjust status.
USCIS listed three ineligibilities for Guatemalan beneficiaries: crossing irregularly between ports of entry after July 10, 2023 (with an exception for a single voluntary departure or withdrawal of an application for admission), being interdicted at sea after that date, or having been ordered removed within the prior 5 years or being subject to a bar to admissibility based on a prior removal order.
What the December 2025 termination notice changed
| Group | What the notice says |
|---|---|
| Petitioners with a pending Form I-134A | DHS will issue a notice of non-confirmation |
| Petitioners with a confirmed I-134A whose relative has not travelled | DHS will rescind the confirmation and issue updated non-confirmation notices |
| Beneficiaries with a pending advance travel authorization | DHS has cancelled all pending requests |
| People already paroled in under FRP | Parole ends January 14, 2026, unless the initial parole had already expired by then (now stayed in part by the court; see below) |
| Exceptions to that end date | A Form I-485 postmarked or filed electronically as of December 15, 2025 and still pending, or a case-by-case decision by the Secretary |
| Parole-based work authorization | DHS said it intended to revoke it on notice after parole ends (now stayed in part by the court) |
Two more points from the notice:
- No filing fee was involved. The notice states there was no fee for the petitioner to file Form I-134A and no fee for a beneficiary to seek consideration under the FRP programs.
- Parole at the border is still discretionary. The notice says CBP may still consider a request for parole case by case, for urgent humanitarian reasons or significant public benefit, and that if parole is not granted a person may be removed or processed for another disposition. That is the general parole power, not a program.
What the court paused, and what it did not
USCIS’s FRP page opens with this alert: on January 24, 2026 the US District Court for the District of Massachusetts issued a preliminary injunction in Svitlana Doe v. Noem, No. 25-cv-10495, staying parts of the December 15 notice «to the extent that it terminates previously granted individual parole and employment authorization issued to aliens paroled into the United States pursuant to the FRP programs prior to the aliens’ originally stated parole end dates». USCIS adds that the termination notices sent to parolees are stayed and «Affected aliens may disregard the information in those notices while the injunction is in effect.»
What that means in plain terms:
- Covered: a Guatemalan already paroled in under FRP, whose parole and work permit the notice would have cut short. Under the order, those run to their original end dates for now.
- Not covered by that language: new invitations, pending I-134A requests and pending travel authorizations. The injunction text quoted by USCIS is about previously granted parole and work authorization.
- Temporary: it is a preliminary injunction, and USCIS says it disagrees with the decision and is complying pending further action in the case. We did not read the court docket; neither USCIS’s page (read September 24, 2026, last updated January 27, 2026) nor plaintiffs’ counsel’s case page (read September 25, 2026) shows a later ruling. An appeal or a stay could change this.
Anyone whose parole end date is close should speak to an immigration attorney about which benefit they can apply for; the notice itself says parolees may apply for any immigration benefit or status for which they are eligible.
The route that remains: the immigrant visa
FRP was always a bridge built on an approved I-130. The termination notice describes the path it bypassed: the relative waits abroad until the priority date is current, then goes through consular processing with the State Department, with biometrics, an in-person interview and civil documents.
For a Guatemalan relative, that means:
| Step | Where to read more on this site |
|---|---|
| Financial sponsorship (Form I-864) | Affidavit of support I-864 for a Guatemalan relative |
| The interview, medical exam and police certificate in Guatemala City | Immigrant visa interview in Guatemala City |
| Whether visas are being issued to Guatemalans right now | US immigrant visa pause and Guatemalans |
The 2023 notice explained why FRP existed with a Visa Bulletin example: in May 2023 a Guatemalan married child of a US citizen (F3 category) would have a visa available only if the I-130 had been filed more than 14 years earlier. Ending FRP did not shorten that wait.
Not the same thing
- Advance parole for travel by DACA or TPS holders is a different document: see DACA renewal and TPS and Guatemalans.
- Reunificación familiar for foreigners moving to Guatemala is a Guatemalan residency topic, unrelated to US parole: see the spouse visa for Guatemala.
Related
- Immigrant visa interview in Guatemala City
- Asylum for Guatemalans in the US
- What happens when a deportation flight lands
Sources, read on 24 September 2026: Federal Register notice 2025-22744, Termination of Family Reunification Parole Processes for Colombians, Cubans, Ecuadorians, Guatemalans, Haitians, Hondurans, and Salvadorans, 90 FR 58032 (December 15, 2025); Federal Register notice 2023-14473, Implementation of a Family Reunification Parole Process for Guatemalans, 88 FR 43581 (July 10, 2023); USCIS Family Reunification Parole Processes page (last updated January 27, 2026). Read on 25 September 2026: Justice Action Center case page for Svitlana Doe v. Noem (plaintiffs’ counsel), for the January 10, 2026 restraining order. General information, not legal advice.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there family reunification parole for Guatemalans in 2026?
No. The Department of Homeland Security terminated the Family Reunification Parole (FRP) processes for Colombians, Cubans, Ecuadorians, Guatemalans, Haitians, Hondurans and Salvadorans as of December 15, 2025 (Federal Register notice 2025-22744, 90 FR 58032). The notice says DHS will issue non-confirmation notices for pending Forms I-134A and has cancelled pending requests for advance travel authorization.
What happens to Guatemalans who were already paroled in under FRP?
The December 2025 notice set January 14, 2026 as the date their parole would end, unless their initial parole had already expired, they had a Form I-485 filed by December 15, 2025 and still pending, or DHS decided otherwise case by case. On January 24, 2026 the US District Court for the District of Massachusetts stayed the notice to the extent it ends previously granted parole and work authorization before the original end dates (Svitlana Doe v. Noem, No. 25-cv-10495). USCIS says it is complying and that the termination notices sent to parolees are not currently in effect. We did not read the court docket, and an appeal or a stay could change this.
Can I still bring my Guatemalan relative with an approved I-130?
The approved I-130 was always the base of FRP, and the termination notice describes the ordinary route that remains: the relative waits outside the United States until the immigrant visa is available, then completes consular processing with the State Department, including biometrics and an interview. For Guatemalans that interview is at the US Embassy in Guatemala City.
Did the FRP termination cancel approved I-130 petitions?
The termination notice is about the parole processes, Forms I-134A and advance travel authorizations. It does not list approved I-130 petitions among the things it cancels. Check your own case with USCIS or the National Visa Center.
Can FRP parolees keep working?
The December 2025 notice said DHS intended to revoke parole-based employment authorization on notice once parole ended. The January 24, 2026 court order stays the notice as it applies to previously granted parole and employment authorization before the original end dates. USCIS’s FRP page, last updated January 27, 2026 and read on September 24, 2026, still carries that alert. We did not read the court docket, and an appeal or a stay could change this.
