Central American Minors (CAM) Refugee and Parole Program

Parolees and individuals with deferred action must have been authorized parole or deferred action for a minimum of one year.

Note on Qualifying Parents or Legal Guardians With Parole and Deferred Action

The U.S.-based qualifying parent or legal guardian must be in one of these categories when they file the AOR. In addition, for the qualifying child and other eligible family members to be approved for parole, the qualifying parent or legal guardian must still be in one of the categories listed above or have received asylum or had their U visa petition approved.

The U.S.-based qualifying parent or legal guardian must be at least 18 years old and in the United States in one of the following categories:

Note: If a qualifying parent submitted an AOR before Nov. 9, 2017, and their qualifying child later reached the age of 21, the child is still eligible for the purposes of current adjudication.

The qualifying child, at the time the AOR is filed, must be:

Eligible Family Members

In some cases, the following eligible family members may have access to the program when included with a qualifying child:

Unmarried children of the qualifying child who are located in-country

Unmarried children under age 21 of the qualifying child can be included as a derivative to the qualifying child’s CAM case. 

In-country parent of the qualifying child

An in-country parent of the qualifying child may be included if they:

• Are part of the same household and economic unit as the qualifying child;
• Are legally married to the qualifying parent in the United States at the time the qualifying parent files the AOR; and
• Continue to be legally married to the qualifying parent at the time of admission or parole to the U.S.

If an in-country parent of the qualifying child is not legally married to the qualifying parent in the U.S., the in-country parent may be included if they are:

• The biological parent of the qualifying child; and
• Part of the same household and economic unit as the qualifying child.

In-country parents who qualify under either scenario listed above have their own case and can include their unmarried children under 21 who are not the child of the U.S.-based qualifying parent. Those children would be listed as derivatives on the in-country parent’s case. The qualifying child’s biological parent who is not legally married to the qualifying parent in the United States may also include their legal spouse as a derivative on their case.

If a legal guardian is filing the AOR for a qualifying child, the legal guardian cannot include an in-country parent of the qualifying child.

Children of the U.S.-based, qualifying parent, who are married or 21 years of age or older

If the U.S.-based qualifying parent has children who are married or 21 years of age or older, those children have their own case and can include their legal spouse and unmarried children under the age of 21 on their case as derivatives.

If a legal guardian is filing the AOR for a qualifying child, the legal guardian can include siblings of the qualifying child.

Primary caregiver of the qualifying child

A caregiver may be given access to the CAM program if they are related to:

• The U.S.-based qualifying parent biologically or by legal marriage; or
• The qualifying child via a biological, step, or adoptive relationship. 

The caregiver must also be the qualifying child’s primary caregiver and part of the same household and economic unit as the qualifying child. 

A legal guardian filing the AOR for a qualifying child can include a primary caregiver of the qualifying child only if the primary caregiver is related to the qualifying child.