Advance Parole

Hey Everyone!

I wanted to share my experience traveling to and from Mexico. I made it safely back and I can't express how grateful and happy I am to have visited my family and see where I came from. I applied for AP back in October 2016, got approved on Jan 20th, 2017 and left for Mexico on March 8th and came back on the 19th. I traveled from O'Hare to Mexico D.F. with my little brother who is a US citizen. The trip to Mexico was the easiest part. For those who are traveling with a U.S. citizen you will receive a form asking for what is the purpose of your travel, for how long and where you will be staying along with another form that must be filled out by the "head of the household" which will be collected by Mexican Immigration once you arrive in Mexico. Everyone including yourself will have your passports stamped when you arrive as well. From there on you can collect your luggage.

On my return flight, I had to present my AP form and passport to the boarding check-in desk. They will ask you some questions of when the dates of travel are and may make a copy and verify that it is valid, so don't worry if they take longer than usual, they just want to clarify details. Once I had my documentation cleared, my brother and I made our way to the terminal to our flight. Once again, I had to present my AP form and passport before being allowed to board the plane. You will also be given another form stating what was the purpose for your trip, how long you stayed and if you have anything to declare for US Customs. I suggest to everyone, to carry a pen and fill out all the forms prior to landing, it makes the process much smoother and less hassle instead of waiting until you arrive. Once I arrived at O'hare right away you enter US Customs and my brother and I made our way to the Non-Citizens line. There you will find several kiosks/desks with a Customs Officer who will ask for your AP form, passport and take your fingerprints and picture. After the officer finished with my and my brother, he ordered us to wait aside for another officer who goes around collecting all the processed passports and visas and the officer took us to a room. There will be several other people in the room waiting for their visas to be stamped or who need further screening. I barely waited for 10 mins, when an officer called out my name and said I was free to go along with my brother, my AP form and passport already stamped! They asked no questions or cleared anything else with me. I was super surprised on how fast they processed my form! But I am not complaining rather but rather grateful that it was smooth experience.

I hope that in sharing my experience, I am able to answer and encourage others who are afraid of traveling or have doubts. Please don't let this opportunity go to waste, I hope to those who will travel, I am wishing you all safe travels and a great experience :).