Self-deportation, in the way DHS uses the term, means leaving the United States voluntarily through the CBP Home app in exchange for travel help and a cash stipend. DHS announced the program in May 2025 with a $1,000 stipend and later announced a temporary increase to $2,600. Leaving can also carry serious consequences, including bars on returning, so this guide explains what the program offers, the risks that come with it, and why you should talk to a lawyer before you enroll or leave.
The program at a glance
Agency: DHS, through the CBP Home app
Announced: May 5, 2025, with a $1,000 stipend and travel assistance; DHS later announced a temporary increase to $2,600 (January 2026)
Who is affected: Noncitizens considering leaving the U.S. on their own
What changes: DHS says people who report an intent to leave and show progress toward departing will be deprioritized for detention and removal
What it does not do: It does not erase unlawful presence, a removal order, or a reentry bar, and it does not guarantee any future visa or return.
Key Takeaways
- The CBP Home stipend has changed over time. Confirm the current terms with DHS before you rely on any number you read online, including ours.
- Leaving the country can trigger bars to coming back, and it can end eligibility for relief that requires you to be in the United States.
- Leaving on your own is not always the same as “voluntary departure” ordered by a judge, and the difference matters. See our guide to voluntary departure vs. a removal order.
What is CBP Home and what does DHS offer?
DHS announced the program on May 5, 2025. In its announcement, DHS said people who use the CBP Home app to leave would receive a $1,000 stipend and travel assistance, and that those who submit an intent to leave would be deprioritized for detention and removal as long as they show meaningful progress toward departing. Later, DHS announced that it was offering a $2,600 stipend through the app. AILA described the change as a temporary raise from $1,000 to $2,600.
We could not confirm the stipend amount or the eligibility rules in force today from DHS or CBP, because those pages were not available to us when we checked. That is exactly why we do not want you to treat any article as the last word. Check the current CBP Home information before you make a decision, and talk to an attorney about your own facts.
Who has been described as eligible?
In a practice pointer published by the Catholic Legal Immigration Network (CLINIC), CLINIC’s analysis of Project Homecoming and CBP Home describes two groups at the program’s start. The first is noncitizens without status who had an encounter with CBP at or between ports of entry, with arrests, citations, charges, or convictions likely disqualifying. The second is categorical parolees, such as those paroled under certain programs, whose parole has expired or will soon expire. CLINIC also noted that the app does not reject ineligible users until after biometrics are submitted, so applying could expose an ineligible person to enforcement.
That analysis dates to the program’s early months and the rules may have changed. Treat it as a warning about what to ask, not as a current checklist.
What are the risks of leaving?
This is the part the headline numbers leave out. Depending on your history, departure can trigger the bars in section 212(a)(9) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, which you can read in 8 U.S.C. § 1182. CLINIC’s analysis summarizes the main risks:
- Removal order bars: departing under a removal order triggers inadmissibility under section 212(a)(9)(A).
- Unlawful presence bars: depending on your history, leaving can trigger a three-year bar, a ten-year bar, or a permanent bar under section 212(a)(9)(B) or (C).
- Missed hearings: leaving while proceedings are pending can lead to an in absentia order, and failing to attend a proceeding can create a bar under section 212(a)(6)(B).
- Lost relief: leaving can end eligibility for relief that requires you to be physically present, such as asylum, withholding of removal, certain humanitarian visas, cancellation of removal, adjustment of status, and TPS.
Which of these applies to you is an individual question. Our explainer on grounds of inadmissibility and our guide to the ten-year bar and advance parole go deeper. Some bars can be waived, and our guides to I-601 vs. I-601A waivers and extreme hardship explain how, but a waiver usually depends on having a qualifying relative, and nothing is guaranteed.
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Is self-deportation the same as voluntary departure?
No. Voluntary departure is a form of relief that an immigration judge or DHS can grant under specific conditions, and it has rules about timing, bond, and consequences if you do not leave. Leaving through an app on your own is a different thing. How each one affects your future entry depends on your history. Read voluntary departure vs. a removal order before you assume one works like the other.
What alternatives should you look at first?
Before you decide to leave, ask whether you have a path to stay. Depending on the facts, there may be a family petition, Section 245(i), cancellation of removal, asylum or related protection, or another form of relief. Our overview of deportation defense and forms of relief in 2026 lists the main ones, and if you already have a removal order, read about stay of removal. If you may be afraid to return to your country, tell an attorney before you take any step to leave. And be careful who you ask for help: see who can legally help with your immigration case.
We are not telling anyone to stay or to go. Some people choose to leave, and for them it matters to do it in a way that protects their future. That is a decision to make with your eyes open and with your documents in front of a lawyer.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the CBP Home app?
It is a DHS app. DHS announced in May 2025 that people who use it to report their intent to leave the U.S. can receive travel assistance and a stipend, and that they would be deprioritized for detention and removal while showing progress toward leaving.
How much is the CBP Home stipend?
DHS announced $1,000 in May 2025 and a temporary increase to $2,600 in January 2026. We could not confirm the amount in force today, so check the current CBP Home information before you rely on any figure.
Can I come back to the U.S. after I leave?
It depends on your history. Leaving can trigger bars under section 212(a)(9) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, and some bars last three years, ten years, or longer. Talk to an attorney before you leave. Call us at (407) 917-2087 if you want us to review your situation.
Should I use CBP Home if I have a pending case or a hearing?
Do not assume the answer. Leaving while a case is pending can lead to an in absentia order or end eligibility for relief that requires you to be in the United States. Get your documents reviewed by an attorney first.
How We Can Help
We help people in Central Florida understand their options before they make a decision that is hard to undo. Call us at (407) 917-2087 or start with the pre-evaluation described above; we review the facts and tell you honestly whether we can help. Our founding attorney Denisse Ilabaca is Board Certified in Immigration and Nationality Law by The Florida Bar, a distinction held by fewer than two percent of Florida attorneys.
This article is general information, not legal advice, and reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. Immigration law changes often, and every case turns on its own facts. Ilabaca Law, PLLC, 300 N Ronald Reagan Blvd, Suite 305, Longwood, FL 32750. Attorney advertising.