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The Department of Homeland Security has terminated a parole program that benefits citizens of Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela. Referred to as the CHNV parole program, the program had allowed citizens of the four countries to request permission to travel to the United States for parole into the country. The program required the foreign national to have a U.S. sponsor who agreed to support the foreign national. Individuals paroled into the United States under the CHNV program could apply for work authorization. It is estimated that 532,000 individuals were paroled into the United States under the program since its inception in October 2022.
On March 25, the Department of Homeland Security terminated the CHNV parole program effective immediately. Individuals whose parole has not already expired will have their parole expire on April 24, 2025. The Department of Homeland Security intends to remove individuals who entered the U.S. under the CHNV parole program who do not depart by April 24 and who do not have a lawful basis to remain in the United States.
Individuals granted parole under the CHNV parole program may have been issued an employment authorization document referencing Category C11 on the card. The Department of Homeland Security is revoking the parole-based employment authorization of individuals under the CHNV parole program effective April 24, 2025. The Department of Homeland Security has not provided guidance on how employers should identify employees whose Category C11 work authorization now expires no later than April 24, 2025. As stated above, the employees will have an EAD issued under Category C11 and will be from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, or Venezuela. However, there is no uniform expiration date for the employees’ EADs, making identifying impacted workers difficult. Before taking adverse action against an employee with a Category C11 EAD and who is a citizen of Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, or Venezuela, employers should verify whether (1) the employee is a beneficiary of the parole program (ask for the employee’s I-94 record) and (2) the employee has alternate proof of authorization to work beyond April 24, 2025.
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