The Journey / When life happens
A family emergency back home
When a parent is ill or someone dies back home, what to check in the first hour before you book a flight, and how to get back.
Few calls are harder than the one from home saying a parent is in hospital. You will want to be on the next flight. Take fifteen minutes first to check that you can come back.
Before you book
- Look at your visa stamp. If it is still valid on the day you plan to return, you can usually fly back on it with your current approval notice (I-797). If it has expired, you will need a new stamp at a U.S. consulate abroad before you return. Check the travel-ready check.
- If you need a stamp, book the earliest regular appointment you can, then use the consulate’s emergency appointment request and explain the situation (a doctor’s letter or death certificate helps). Approval is at the consulate’s discretion.
- If a green card application (I-485) is pending: H-1B and L-1 workers and their H-4 and L-2 family can travel and return on their visa. Anyone else needs advance parole before leaving. In a real emergency, USCIS can issue advance parole in person at a field office: call the USCIS Contact Center to ask for an emergency appointment, and bring proof of the emergency.
- Check your approval notice and passport. Both should run well past your return date.
- Tell your employer and your immigration attorney before you leave. Ask about emergency or bereavement leave, and whether you can work remotely from abroad (often you can’t; ask).
While you’re away
- Keep the originals of your I-797, passport and any advance parole document safe.
- If you need a new stamp, a consulate may hold the case for administrative processing (sometimes shown as “221(g)”). It can take weeks. If that happens, tell your employer and attorney right away.
- If your spouse and children stay behind, make sure they have copies of your documents and know who to call.
Coming back
Show your stamp (or advance parole), your approval notice and, ideally, a recent employment letter and pay stubs. After you land, check your I-94 to confirm the end date is right.
If you are too unwell or too grieving to think about any of this, ask a friend to go through this page with you. It is okay to need help.
The good
- Consulates accept emergency appointment requests for urgent travel
- USCIS can issue emergency advance parole in person for genuine emergencies
- Most employers have bereavement or emergency leave; ask early
The hard
- An expired visa stamp means you need a consulate appointment abroad before you can return
- Leaving with a pending I-485 and no valid H/L status or advance parole can abandon the application
- Consulates can hold a case for extra checks that take weeks
Sources
- USCIS: Emergency travel (emergency advance parole)
- USCIS Policy Manual: travel while adjustment is pending
- State Department: Global visa wait times and emergency appointments
- CBP: I-94 lookup
Rules change often. If something here looks out of date, it probably is; check the official source and talk to an immigration attorney about your own case.