Extreme flooding occurring in Central America has led U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to remind everyone of immigration benefits available, upon request, to eligible nationals from countries in that region.
USCIS understands that a natural disaster can affect an individual’s ability to establish or maintain lawful immigration status. Temporary relief measures available to eligible nationals from Central American countries that are currently in the U.S. may include:
- Approval for a change or extension of nonimmigrant status, even in cases where the request is submitted after an individual’s authorized period of admission has expired.
- Re-parole of individuals granted parole by USCIS.
- Extension of certain grants of advance parole and expedited processing of requests for advance parole.
- Expedited adjudication and approval of requests by students with F-1 visas for off-campus employment authorization due to severe economic hardship.
- Expedited processing of immigrant petitions for immediate relatives of U.S. citizens and permanent residents.
- Expedited processing of employment authorization.
- Assistance, in coordination with the Department of State, to permanent residents stranded overseas without documents.
To learn about more options for immigration, please visit the Special Situations Web page in the Humanitarian section of the United States Customs and Immigration website or call the U.S. National Customer Service Center at 1-800-375-5283.
