U.S. Department of Homeland Security 

December 27, 2006 

Fact Sheet 

Traveling Outside the United States as an Asylum Applicant, an Asylee, or a Lawful 

Permanent Resident Who Obtained Such Status Based on Asylum Status 

Asylum applicants, asylees, and lawful permanent residents who obtained such status based on their asylum 

status are subject to special rules with regard to traveling outside the United States. This U.S. Citizenship and 

Immigration Services (USCIS) Fact Sheet describes the relevant statutes and regulations regarding traveling 

outside the United States as well as the consequences that could result if an asylum applicant, an asylee, or a 

lawful permanent resident who obtained such status based on his or her asylum status returns to his or her 

country of claimed persecution. 

Travel Outside the United States 

x Asylum Applicants: An asylum applicant who leaves the United States without first obtaining 

advance parole shall be presumed to have abandoned his or her asylum application. Advance 

parole (see: USCIS Form I-131) allows certain aliens to return to the United States without a visa 

after traveling abroad. Asylum applicants must receive advance parole before leaving the United 

States. Advance parole does not guarantee that the alien will be paroled into the United States. 

Rather, the asylum applicant must still undergo inspection by an immigration inspector from 

United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

x Asylees: Asylees (individuals who have been granted asylum) may travel abroad with the prior 

approval of the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Such prior approval 

comes in the form of a refugee travel document. A refugee travel document is valid for one year 

and is issued to an asylee to allow his or her return to the United States after temporary travel 

abroad. Generally, the asylee should obtain the refugee travel document prior to departure from 

the United States, though the applicable regulations also permit the issuance of a refugee travel 

document abroad under certain circumstances. Like advance parole, a refugee travel document 

does not guarantee admission into the United States. Rather, the asylee must still undergo 

inspection by an immigration inspector from CBP.

x Lawful Permanent Residents: Lawful permanent residents who obtained such status based on 

their asylum status may also travel abroad with refugee travel documents. 

-more- 
Possible Consequences of Returning to the Country of Claimed Persecution 

An asylum applicant who leaves the United States without advance parole and returns to the country of 

claimed persecution shall be presumed to have abandoned his or her asylum application, unless the applicant 

is able to establish compelling reasons for the return. If an asylum applicant returns to his or her country of 

claimed persecution without advance parole, he or she should be prepared to explain the reason for the return. 

Asylum status may be terminated for specific reasons as listed in INA § 208(c)(2). An individual’s 

underlying asylum status may be terminated even if the individual has already become a lawful permanent 

resident.

Returning to one’s country of claimed persecution may be relevant to a number of termination grounds. For 

instance, asylum status could be terminated based on a fundamental change in circumstances in the asylee’s 

country of persecution. Termination could also occur due to fraud in the asylum application such that the 

asylee was not eligible for asylum. Return to the country of feared persecution can, in some circumstances, 

be considered evidence that the asylee’s alleged fear of persecution is not genuine. In addition, termination of 

asylum status could occur if an “alien has voluntarily availed himself or herself of the protection of the alien’s 

country of nationality . . . by returning to such country with permanent resident status or the reasonable 

possibility of obtaining such status with the same rights and obligations pertaining to other permanent 

residents of that country.” 

Accordingly, an asylee or a lawful permanent resident who obtained such status based on a grant of asylum 

status may be questioned about why he or she was able to return to the country of claimed persecution and, in 

some circumstances, may be subject to proceedings to terminate asylum status. 

 – USCIS – 

On March 1, 2003, U.S Citizenship and Immigration Services became one of three legacy INS components to join the U.S. Department of Homeland 

Security. USCIS is charged with fundamentally transforming and improving the delivery of immigration and citizenship services,

while enhancing the integrity of our nation's security.