I-131 processing time

What the data says today

USCIS reports the I-131 on four lines. None of them is labelled reentry permit or refugee travel document.

Source: USCIS, All Forms by Quarter, FY2026 Q3. “Completed” is the USCIS count of finished cases in the quarter. For initial parole from outside the U.S., USCIS reported no median, so we show none. The monthly report to Congress for August 2026 has no I-131 line.

Advance parole is the line most people search for. Of its 61,991 decisions, 43,791 were approvals and 18,200 were denials, a denial share of 29.4% (our calculation). USCIS received 113,627 advance parole applications in the quarter.

Reentry permits and refugee travel documents. USCIS does not give them their own line. They may sit in the general 14.4-month line, but that is our reading: USCIS does not define what the general line contains. For the current range, check the I-131 on the USCIS processing times page. It sits behind a security check, so we link it instead of copying it.

Which travel document you need

USCIS lists several documents under Form I-131 (I-131 page, travel documents):

• Advance parole: for people in the U.S. with a pending application, such as an I-485, who need to travel and return.
• Reentry permit: for permanent or conditional residents who will be outside the U.S. for one year or more. While valid, it means you do not need a returning resident visa.
• Refugee travel document: for refugees and asylees, and for green card holders who got their status that way.
• Parole in place and initial parole: other parole requests, each with its own line in the data above.

Fees on the current G-1055 (edition 10/26/26):

If your I-485 was filed with its fee on or after July 30, 2007 and before April 1, 2024 and is still pending, the G-1055 lists the I-131 at $0. The G-1055 also lists a $1,050 Immigration Parole Fee that CBP collects at the port of entry when parole is sought, with exceptions. One listed exception covers adjustment applicants returning after temporary travel abroad. Check the schedule for your case.

Filing changed this fall. On Oct. 7, 2026, USCIS changed where to file the I-131, and it accepts forms postmarked on or before Nov. 9, 2026 at the prior locations (I-131 filing addresses). Advance parole based on a pending I-485 can be filed online only if the I-485 receipt number starts with IOE, and reentry permits and refugee travel documents cannot be filed online at all (I-131 page).

Travel with a pending I-485

This is where an I-131 decision matters most. USCIS says:

• Leaving without advance parole. If your I-485 is pending and you leave without an advance parole document, USCIS says you will generally have abandoned the application (while your green card application is pending). You may also not be allowed back in.
• Advance parole is not a guarantee. A CBP officer at the airport or border decides whether to let you in, and the document does not replace your passport.
• The Aug. 13, 2026 alert. USCIS posted an alert on its travel documents page and its I-131 page. The Board of Immigration Appeals decided Matter of Delcarmen-Lara, 29 I&N Dec. 830, which overruled an earlier precedent. As of Aug. 13, 2026, leaving the U.S. after obtaining advance parole counts as a departure for the unlawful presence bar in INA 212(a)(9)(B)(i). People with more than 180 days of unlawful presence may be inadmissible when they return.

If you have ever been in the U.S. without status, read the alert in full before you travel; an immigration attorney can tell you how it applies to your case. For the I-485 itself, see I-485 processing time and green card status. A work permit filed with the I-485 has its own wait: I-765 processing time.

Emergency travel

USCIS’s emergency travel page gives two routes:

1. Expedite. If you can, ask at least 45 days before the trip, through the USCIS Contact Center (800-375-5283) or by asking Emma, the virtual assistant on uscis.gov. The decision is at USCIS’s discretion (expedite requests).
2. Under 15 days. For a pressing need to travel in less than 15 days, USCIS may issue an emergency travel document. You call the Contact Center or use My Appointment, and if your case qualifies, USCIS books you at a local field office. Bring a completed, signed I-131.

If your trip date is getting close

Advance parole cases are often urgent because a trip is booked. Before you contact USCIS, find the I-131 range for your office on the processing times page: USCIS generally will not look into a case that is still inside it.

• Past the posted range: send a case inquiry through e-Request, with your receipt number.
• Inside the range but the trip cannot move: the expedite or emergency routes above are the tools, not a case inquiry.
• Fingerprints pending: see our biometrics appointment page.
• New address: report it before the card or document is mailed (change of address).

What each online status means, from “Case Was Received” to the decision, is in our status index. The YourCaseStatus app (coming soon) will alert you when your status changes. Other forms are on the processing times hub.

Official links

• USCIS Form I-131
• USCIS travel documents
• I-131 filing addresses
• Check your case status
• USCIS processing times