If you need to travel while your immigration application is pending, the requirements as well as risks depend on your specific status. In almost all of the specific instances, leaving the U.S. without any prior authorization can certainly result in the abandonment of your application, particularly for green card or asylum applicants. To avoid this, you may need to apply for a travel document by filing Form I-131 (Application for Travel Document). Form I-131 is used to request multiple kinds of travel authorization, including a reentry permit, refugee travel document, Temporary Protected Status (TPS) travel authorization, or a future advance parole document. For those awaiting status adjustments, Advance Parole lets them adventure overseas briefly and come back, not endangering their green card request. However, even with Advance Parole, reentry is never guaranteed, as admission into the country remains completely at the choice of U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

For TPS beneficiaries, the travel authorization document (Form I-512T or Form I-512L) allows for them to leave. Furthermore, it allows for them to reenter the U.S. under specific conditions. However, traveling while the TPS re-registration or initial application is pending surely carries certain risks, including possibly missing important USCIS notifications or even being denied TPS while outside the U.S. If you have such an immediate necessity to travel, you still may be eligible for expedited processing under particular circumstances.