Emergency advance parole

[nikki1992 62]

Has anyone had an emergency advance parole application approved because of needing to travel to see a dying pet? 

 

My dog is really sick (not sure what is wrong yet but it doesn't look good) and it's possible she will need to be put down in the next few days. She means the world to me and I really need to be there for her if/when it happens but since my advance parole document hasn't been approved yet I can't travel.

 

I called USCIS this morning to ask about it and he said they wouldn't approve it for a dying pet and it needs to be a human relative. However, I just read on a visa journey forum that someone got their emergency advance parole application approved just so he could attend his SECOND wedding! Yet they won't approve it for a life or death situation like this. Seems completely heartless that they would reject it just because it's not a human. Every dog owner knows that a dog is more than just an animal that lives in your house - they're a family member.

 

Has anyone been successful in getting an emergency advance parole document approved for this reason? I don't know whether I should just try anyway but the fee is very high ($575) if they are just going to reject it right away without even considering it.

[Crazy Cat 41,886]

2 minutes ago, nikki1992 said:

I called USCIS this morning to ask about it and he said they wouldn't approve it for a dying pet and it needs to be a human relative.

and you don't believe them?  

[Ben&Zian 4,398]

You can try, but I myself highly doubt it for a pet... sometimes even ill relatives is not enough of a reason. You'd have to I'm sure supply them with something to actually verify the situation also, like a veterinarian report or something... again you can try, but highly unlikely.

[Roel 7,192]

I dont think anyone can tell you for sure if you're AP would be approved or denied. I haven't seen dying pet emergency here on VJ yet. Who knows. At the end you will never know unless you apply. 

[nikki1992 62]

5 minutes ago, missileman said:

and you don't believe them?  

Not particularly because on many occasions I have been told by a USCIS officer one thing and then it turns out to be untrue.

 

Especially the fact that it states on the emergency parole site somewhere that something like a wedding will not be considered an emergency, yet this person got it approved for them. Makes me wonder if there is some leeway and it's not just a hard no.

[nikki1992 62]

8 minutes ago, Roel said:

I dont think anyone can tell you for sure if you're AP would be approved or denied. I haven't seen dying pet emergency here on VJ yet. Who knows. At the end you will never know unless you apply. 

Yeah you're right. I just wanted to know if anyone else has gone through the process for the same reason and what their result was. Sounds like it hasn't come up before though.

[nikki1992 62]

9 minutes ago, Ben&Zian said:

You can try, but I myself highly doubt it for a pet... sometimes even ill relatives is not enough of a reason. You'd have to I'm sure supply them with something to actually verify the situation also, like a veterinarian report or something... again you can try, but highly unlikely.

Yeah he said if I wanted to try anyway I would need some kind of letter from the veterinarian with all the relevant information. I guess I'll wait and see what the prognosis is first, and decide if I'll still try to apply for it.

[Wuozopo 4,293]

39 minutes ago, nikki1992 said:

Yeah he said if I wanted to try anyway I would need some kind of letter from the veterinarian with all the relevant information. I guess I'll wait and see what the prognosis is first, and decide if I'll still try to apply for it.

 

Sometimes you have to make hard decisions in life and prioritize. And sometimes we panic with initial bad news. But you should be due to receive your AP soon. Your timeline says--

Based on timeline data, your EAD may be adjudicated between April 20, 2019 and May 7, 2019*.

 

Going off on the emergency AP path could take longer than waiting for it to be issued. I wish you a speedy approval and resolution.

[nikki1992 62]

7 minutes ago, Wuozopo said:

 

Sometimes you have to make hard decisions in life and prioritize. And sometimes we panic with initial bad news. But you should be due to receive your AP soon. Your timeline says--

Based on timeline data, your EAD may be adjudicated between April 20, 2019 and May 7, 2019*.

 

Going off on the emergency AP path could take longer than waiting for it to be issued. I wish you a speedy approval and resolution.

Thanks.

 

I wish the approval would come before 7th may but I’m not hopeful to be honest. The official processing time is 5-7 months and it hasn’t even been 4 months yet, but it seems some January and February filers are already getting theirs so it could happen!

[hayhayhay 26]

I'm so sorry to hear that your dog is ill. I know just as well that losing a dog is losing a best friend.

 

I just wanted to pop in quickly to share my experience with Emergency AP. After 6.5 months of waiting for my husband's EAD/AP, we learned his uncle was now in the ICU back in England due to a cancer complication. My husband's family asked that we return to the UK immediately, as his uncle was likely coming to the end of his rope. We booked our tickets for a couple of weeks out and first tried to submit an expedite request - A few days later we received a notification that a decision would be made soon, but 10 days passed with no news.

 

We finally resorted to Emergency AP. We gathered medical documents from hospital in the UK, birth certificates, flight receipts, etc. We were able to get into the local USCIS office for an emergency appointment, and spoke with a USCIS officer. She collected our documents and info and retreated into the back to discuss our case with the supervisor. Unfortunately, she came back with bad news. My husband's Emergency AP was denied because the family member in question was not a "direct" relative - She informed us they only approve cases like this for "immediate" family members such as parents, spouses, children, or siblings. 

 

I don't mean to destroy any hope, but after this experience I am led to believe USCIS may not approve you for Emergency AP under your given circumstances. But I will say, there is no harm in trying. I have read stories on VJ where Emergency AP has been approved for a lot less. You should be able to walk-in to your local USCIS office without an InfoPass appointment and request to see the supervisor as you have an emergency. 

 

Best of luck. Sending lots of love to you and your pup! xxx

[Meisha&Jake 869]

1 hour ago, nikki1992 said:

Has anyone had an emergency advance parole application approved because of needing to travel to see a dying pet? 

 

My dog is really sick (not sure what is wrong yet but it doesn't look good) and it's possible she will need to be put down in the next few days. She means the world to me and I really need to be there for her if/when it happens but since my advance parole document hasn't been approved yet I can't travel.

 

I called USCIS this morning to ask about it and he said they wouldn't approve it for a dying pet and it needs to be a human relative. However, I just read on a visa journey forum that someone got their emergency advance parole application approved just so he could attend his SECOND wedding! Yet they won't approve it for a life or death situation like this. Seems completely heartless that they would reject it just because it's not a human. Every dog owner knows that a dog is more than just an animal that lives in your house - they're a family member.

 

Has anyone been successful in getting an emergency advance parole document approved for this reason? I don't know whether I should just try anyway but the fee is very high ($575) if they are just going to reject it right away without even considering it.

I have no advice/knowledge of applying for emergency AP for a beloved pet, I just wanted to reach out as I can relate right now
 

I'm so so sorry to hear... I hope your dog pulls through.

My childhood dog suddenly became ill in February & my Mum had to give me the dreaded phone call that she had to be put to sleep. I expected to be seeing her later on this year when I can visit, I never knew that Oct 2018 would've been the last time I could hug & kiss her the day I flew out to the USA

It's definitely been the hardest moment since I moved here in Oct 2018, so I can totally relate with how your feeling.

Best wishes x

[geowrian 22,337]

15 hours ago, nikki1992 said:

Not particularly because on many occasions I have been told by a USCIS officer one thing and then it turns out to be untrue.

True, it does happen all the time. Although this time it was more of an opinion/quick evaluation.

 

15 hours ago, nikki1992 said:

Especially the fact that it states on the emergency parole site somewhere that something like a wedding will not be considered an emergency, yet this person got it approved for them. Makes me wonder if there is some leeway and it's not just a hard no.

Every emergency AP decision is discretionary. There is no reason that will guarantee approval nor guarantee a denial.

However, they do not grant them easily. As others have noted, it's a very high bar to get them to grant it, and even the expected passing of a close relative may not qualify.

 

I have heard of somebody getting emergency AP for a wedding. I have no idea if they got the immigration equivalent of winning the lottery, if there were other relevant circumstances, if they told the IO something different as their reason, etc.

But the fact remains is this is not something to rely on. Emergency AP is never something to rely on.

 

Expect a denial and hope for an approval.

[Unidentified 2,930]

I highly doubt you will get an Emergency AP for your dog. I had to bring letters from my dad's doctor when he was dying that pretty much specified that he would pass away very soon.  

 

As a dog owner myself, I understand how hard it must be for you right now. But see it from the perspective of USCIS, this is not an emergency. I know that in some countries dogs are treated better than humans but they're still just a dog. You can try but I don't see it being approved. In the case of the person who got granted AP for his 2nd wedding... At least it was his own wedding and that person had been optimistic and already paid for it so there would be a significant financial loss there. 

[Hypnos 6,576]

Sorry to hear of your pet, but I can't imagine this being approved. 

[nikki1992 62]

Thank you for your kind words hayhayhay and meisha&jake.

 

Unfortunately she took a turn for the worst last night and within an hour she was so ill she had to be put down so there was no time to even try and get an approval.

 

Just makes me dislike USCIS even more because if they weren’t taking so long to approve everything like they are now, I would have got my AP already and could have flown back to the U.K. on Saturday when all this started and been there in person.