Parole In Place:

Parole in place allows a foreign national who came into the United States without authorization by an immigration officer to stay for a certain period of time. Parole in place is granted on a case-by-case basis for urgent humanitarian reasons or significant public benefit. Parole is considered a lawful immigration status for purposes of certain immigration benefits, such as a Green Card. Parole, however, does not excuse any periods of unlawful presence outside of the parole period.

You may be eligible for parole in place in one-year increments if you are the spouse, widow(er), parent, son, or daughter of:

• An active-duty member of the U.S. armed forces;

• An individual in the Selected Reserve of the Ready Reserve; or

• A military veteran (whether living or deceased, as long as he or she was not dishonorably discharged) who served in active duty or in the Selected Reserve of the Ready Reserve.

Deferred Action:

Deferred action is a form of prosecutorial discretion to postpone someone’s removal from the United States from a certain period of time. If the deferred action is granted, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) considers you to be lawfully present in the U.S. for the period deferred action is in effect. Under existing regulations, if you are granted deferred action, you are eligible to apply for employment authorization for the period of deferred action if you can demonstrate “an economic necessity for employment.” DHS can terminate deferred action at any time, at its discretion.

You may be eligible for deferred action for up to two years if you are the spouse, widow(er), parent, son or daughter of an:

Active-duty member of the U.S. armed forces;
Individual in the Selected Reserve of the Ready Reserve; or
Individual who (whether still living or deceased) previously served on active duty or in the Selected Reserve of the Ready Reserve and was not dishonorably discharged.