[nopinsight]

Does anyone know how the process is supposed to work once one gets the Parole? Would the Parole allow one to travel freely in and out of the States, like a Green Card holder, during the its valid period?

E-2 visa for some nationals requires the person to reapply for the visa if one travels outside the US and wants to get back in, which is a major pain point. (There is a period, for example 6 months or 1 year, when the re-entry is permitted without re-application. This varies with the country.)

[deepGem]

I read through the rules and couldn't find any mention. Which means it's safe to assume that you can travel freely in and out of US within the parole period. All Visas to the US are mostly multiple entry Visas unless otherwise stated. Probably this parole is similar.

[nopinsight]

That is quite reassuring. Thank you! :)

[rudyrigot]

I'm afraid the point of parole is that it can be decided at the border, at the entire discretion of the custom officers, without needing change in laws (hence why Obama is doing it this way). So, even if there was a guideline about this, you're getting zero guarantee that you will be admitted in next time.

[gotrecruit]

about the E-2 thing you said, it's only true if you applied within the US. if you applied and got an E-2 outside of US, you can freely leave and enter on it anytime.

[nopinsight]

I talked with an immigration lawyer last year. She told me that the period of free re-entry was only within 6 months of the visa issuance. I did check and found a list of varying periods for different countries on some website (I can't find it now.)

However, I just found this paragraph on www.uscis.gov:

"An E-2 nonimmigrant who travels abroad may generally be granted an automatic two-year period of readmission when returning to the United States. It is generally not necessary to file a new Form I-129 with USCIS in this situation."

So I guess one may want to re-check to be very sure if one wants to get an E-2. I'm going to apply for the Entrepreneur Parole since it fits my situation much better.

[Xixi]

I have an E-2 visa, valid for 5 years. The way it works is exactly as you read on www.uscis.gov: upon entry in the US there is a 2 year reentry permission: it is renewed each time the border is crossed. In practice it means that I need to go out of the US at least once every two years to keep the ability to travel freely. Conclusion: the E-2 visa is great if you intend to travel abroad often, otherwise another visa is probably better.

The durations may vary depending on the country the visa is issued from (due to the underlying treaty), and the status associated to it: in my case France as an essential employee (NOT as an investor).