Can DACA Recipients Travel or Adjust Status? What You Need to Know in 2025

You’ve built a life in Maryland under DACA—steady paycheck, leased apartment, credit score inching upward. But a sudden family crisis abroad forces a question that can’t wait: Can I leave and still come back? 

The answer is yes, when you secure Advance Parole and follow every rule that governs DACA travel in 2025. Best of all, a parole stamp is considered an official admission, wiping away the entry problem that often blocks Dreamers from adjusting their status at home rather than abroad. Timing, documentation, and recent federal rulings make or break each case, which is why many turn to the best immigration lawyer in Annapolis before filing a single form.

The Current State of DACA Renewals

On January 17, 2025, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit affirmed that core portions of DACA exceed statutory authority but allowed ongoing renewals during remand (Texas v. United States, 2025 WL 183214). For Maryland residents this means:

• Work authorizations and protection from deportation remain valid through their printed expiration dates.
• First-time applications stay frozen.
• Advance Parole (AP) requests are still accepted, though each is discretionary (USCIS Policy Alert 2025-05).

File renewal packages 150–180 days before the current period ends, because a final injunction could arrive with little notice. Close timing keeps you employed while ensuring you remain “in status” for any later adjustment filing.

How Advance Parole Unlocks International Travel

Advance Parole is a travel document issued on Form I-131 that lets Customs and Border Protection (CBP) parole you back into the country after a brief trip. Parole counts as a lawful admission under Immigration and Nationality Act § 245(a), solving the usual “entry without inspection” barrier many Dreamers face when seeking permanent residence. Parole also pauses unlawful-presence accrual, averting the three- or ten-year bars triggered by departure without permission.

USCIS keeps three acceptable reasons for DACA travel (USCIS Form I-131 Instructions, Rev. 02-02-2025):

• Humanitarian: visiting an ailing relative, attending a funeral, or seeking medically necessary treatment abroad.
• Educational: study-abroad programs, academic conferences, field research integral to a degree plan.
• Employment: overseas assignments, training sessions, or client meetings required by your U.S. employer.

Requesting AP for tourism alone remains impossible—file under one of the categories above and attach proof such as hospital letters or enrollment confirmations.

Filing for Advance Parole

Before USCIS will hand you an Advance Parole travel document, you must clear a short checklist—miss even one step and your packet comes right back:

• Gather evidence. Copy the current I-797 DACA approval, Employment Authorization Document, two passport photos, and documentation of the trip’s purpose.
• Complete Forms I-131 and G-1145. Double-check the new USCIS fee schedule effective July 22, 2025; mailings post-marked after August 21 without updated payments bounce back (Federal Register Vol. 90, No. 118).
• Send by certified mail. Use the lockbox address; keep the receipt for tracking.
• Attend biometrics, if scheduled. Skipping the appointment voids the request.
• Monitor Case Status Online. Processing averages 90–120 days; urgent humanitarian cases may request same-day parole at a USCIS field office (Form I-131 Instructions, 2025).
• Travel within validity dates. Carry your AP document, EAD, Maryland real-ID license, and evidence of the trip’s purpose when re-entering.

If a CBP officer questions the trip, present certified court dispositions for any arrests and copies of tax filings. A Baltimore immigration lawyer can prep you with a mock secondary inspection, ensuring no surprise derails re-entry.

Using Parole Entry to Adjust Status

Because AP produces a lawful admission, you can apply for a green card inside the United States if you later qualify through family, employment, or humanitarian routes. Below are the most common pathways for Dreamers in 2025:

Marriage to a U.S. Citizen

A genuine marriage remains the fastest road. After a parole return, file Forms I-130 and I-485 concurrently, then attend biometrics and a Baltimore or Washington Field Office interview. Expect 10–18 months to conditional residence. Provisional waivers are usually unnecessary because parole already satisfies the lawful-entry condition. Working with an immigration marriage lawyer speeds the process by assembling joint bank statements, leases, and photographs into a persuasive record.

Long-Pending Family Petitions

Many DACA recipients have parents who filed F-2B or F-3 petitions years ago. Once the priority date on the Visa Bulletin becomes current, those beneficiaries with a parole admission can finally adjust without consular processing. Keep DACA renewed until the green-card interview; it provides lawful presence and work permission during the wait.

Employment-Based Options

Maryland’s hospitals and cybersecurity firms often sponsor talented DACA holders for EB-2 or EB-3 categories. For top researchers or athletes, EB-1 offers current priority dates. Your parole stamp permits filing I-485 upon I-140 approval. Coordinate closely with visa attorneys to document advanced degrees, peer-reviewed publications, or national awards—evidence that speeds adjudication.

Humanitarian Paths: U-Visa and VAWA

Survivors of serious crime who helped police may secure a U-visa, then adjust after three years. Domestic-violence victims can self-petition under the Violence Against Women Act. In both cases, a prior parole entry eliminates the need for costly waivers. A lawyer maps the timeline so DACA renewals and U-status do not lapse in conflict.

Military Parole-in-Place

Immediate relatives of U.S. service members, including those stationed at Fort Meade or the U.S. Naval Academy, qualify for on-shore parole without travel. This separate program sidesteps unlawful-presence bars and allows direct adjustment. For active-duty couples, an immigration lawyer can file simultaneously for parole, work authorization, and family-based residency.

Pitfalls That Still Trip Up Dreamers

Even well-prepared applicants stumble over procedural errors. First, traveling without AP voids deferred action, triggers unlawful-presence penalties, and may block return for a decade (INA § 212(a)(9)(B)). Second, failing to renew DACA early could leave you unprotected if courts suspend the program. Third, a single misdemeanor involving moral turpitude—shoplifting, for instance—may kill AP approval. 

Fourth, men ages 18–25 must register for Selective Service to stay eligible for naturalization. Finally, tax filings matter: USCIS officers often request IRS transcripts to confirm good-faith compliance. A seasoned immigration lawyer reviews criminal dockets, tax transcripts, and Selective Service proof before any travel or adjustment filing, preventing late-stage disaster.

Why a Baltimore Immigration Lawyer Matters More Than Ever

Your American future hinges on small details that carry huge consequences. Advance Parole lets many DACA holders travel in crisis and return safely; that same parole entry can transform temporary protection into a green card through marriage, family sponsorship, employment, or humanitarian relief. Deadlines, court rulings, and filing fees, however, are moving targets. For tailored guidance that meets today’s rules and tomorrow’s deadlines, contact Chambers Law Firm, P.C. to take your first confident step toward secure residency.