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I-131 processing time for advance parole and re-entry permits

Choose advance parole or the re-entry permit, enter the receipt date of your I-131, and compare it with the range USCIS currently publishes.

Checked by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method and past error

I-131 advance parole

Within normal time

Too early for a case inquiry.

Published range, Service Center Operations26.5 to 34.0 months
Time since your receipt date12.4 months
USCIS takes inquiries for receipts on or beforeDecember 24, 2023
How this was calculated
  1. USCIS published these ranges on September 17, 2026. The upper figure is the time within which USCIS completed 80% of cases; the lower one is the median.
  2. The national average is a different measure: all cases completed in the month, from receipt to decision, as reported to Congress.

Processing-time data: ImmigrationTimes.org (CC BY 4.0), from USCIS; selected and reformatted. Check your own case on egov.uscis.gov.

Estimate from public data, not legal advice. Your case may differ (cross-chargeability, CSPA, waivers). For advice, see a licensed immigration attorney or a DOJ-accredited representative. Not affiliated with USCIS or the Department of State. Method and past error

Form I-131 covers two very different travel documents, and USCIS publishes each separately at Service Center Operations. Advance parole, the document many adjustment applicants request so they can travel while Form I-485 is pending, shows a range of 26.5 to 34 months in the edition of September 17, 2026, with case inquiries accepted for receipts up to December 24, 2023. The re-entry permit, requested by green card holders who plan a long stay abroad, shows 16.5 to 21.5 months. In each case the first figure is the median and the second the time by which 80% of applications were decided. No national average for Form I-131 appears in the monthly report to Congress, so the published ranges are the only official measure. A striking comparison: at 52 of the 90 field offices, the upper bound for a family-based I-485 is shorter than the upper bound for advance parole, so the green card itself can arrive before the travel document requested alongside it. The paper fee for advance parole is $630.

Two documents on one form

USCIS publication of September 17, 2026; fees from Form G-1055, edition 10/07/26.
DocumentWho asks for itPublished rangeInquiries for receipts up toPaper fee
Advance paroleApplicant with a pending I-48526.5 to 34 monthsDecember 24, 2023$630
Re-entry permit or refugee travel documentGreen card holder planning a long absence, or refugee16.5 to 21.5 monthsJanuary 7, 2025$630

The fee for the re-entry permit is the same as for advance parole on paper, but only advance parole can be filed online, at $580.

When the travel document is the slow part

Adjustment applicants often file Forms I-485, I-765 and I-131 the same day and expect them to move together. They do not. Advance parole is published with an upper bound of 34 months, and 52 of the 90 field offices publish a shorter upper bound for the family I-485. In those areas, a family planning a trip around the travel document may find the green card arrives first. Elsewhere, the reverse holds. Check both lines for your situation in the checker.

Long stays abroad after the green card

For permanent residents, the re-entry permit is the document USCIS lists on the Form I-131 page for long absences. Time abroad also counts against continuous residence for naturalization: an absence of more than six months creates a presumption of a break, and one year or more breaks it, as our residence guide explains. Travel plans with an application pending are a good moment to consult an immigration attorney or a DOJ-accredited representative.

Published processing times

USCIS publication of September 17, 2026. Processing-time data: ImmigrationTimes.org (CC BY 4.0), from USCIS; selected and reformatted.
Form and categoryOfficeRange (median to 80% of cases)Inquiries for receipts up to
I-131 advance paroleService Center Operations26.5 to 34.0 monthsDecember 24, 2023
I-131 re-entry permit or refugee travel documentService Center Operations16.5 to 21.5 monthsJanuary 7, 2025

Questions people ask

Can advance parole take longer than the I-485 it was filed with?

It can. USCIS publishes advance parole at one unit with a long range, while family-based I-485 ranges vary by field office and some are shorter. If the green card is approved first, the pending travel document no longer matters for most travel, because the card itself is the entry document for a permanent resident.

How long does a re-entry permit take compared with advance parole?

USCIS publishes the re-entry permit and refugee travel document as one line, separate from advance parole, with its own median and 80% figure. The re-entry permit is for people who already hold a green card and plan a long absence; it cannot be filed online, according to the Form I-131 page.

What does the I-131 advance parole fee depend on?

The G-1055 schedule lists a paper fee and a lower online fee for advance parole. Applicants whose Form I-485 was filed with a fee before April 1, 2024 and is still pending pay no fee for advance parole. Our I-131 fee page shows the current amounts and the re-entry permit fee.

Keep going

USCIS processing times

Every green card and citizenship form we track, with the range USCIS publishes and the national average.

I-131 fee

Advance parole with a pending I-485, the reentry permit for green card holders, paper and online.

I-485 family-based

Family green card interview times at all 90 field offices, from the fastest to the slowest, with the trend.

N-400 residence rules

Continuous residence and physical presence for citizenship: the day counts, the six-month and one-year trip rules.

Official sources and data

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Publisher of Visa Bulletin data, green card wait forecasts, USCIS processing times and 2026 filing fees

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Data for 2026, checked on