USCIS to Centralize Filing of Certain Waiver of Inadmissibility Cases

Beginning June 4, 2012, individuals abroad who have applied for certain visas and have been found ineligible by a U.S. Consular Officer will be able to mail requests to waive certain grounds of inadmissibility directly to a U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Lockbox facility. This change affects where individuals abroad who have been found inadmissible for an immigrant visa or a nonimmigrant K or V visa.

Currently, applicants experience processing times from one-month to more than a year depending on their filing location. This centralization will provide individuals with faster and more efficient application processing and consistent adjudication.

The change affects filings for:

• Form I-601, Application for Waiver of Grounds of Inadmissibility
• Form I-212, Application for Permission to Reapply for Admission into the United States After Deportation or Removal
• Form I-290B, Notice of Appeal or Motion, (if filed after a denial of a Form I-601 or Form I-212).

Individuals who mail their waiver request forms should use the address provided in the revised form instructions on the USCIS website.

During a limited six-month transition period, immigrant visa waiver applicants in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, will have the option to either mail their waiver applications to the USCIS Lockbox in the United States or file in-person at the USCIS office in Ciudad Juarez. USCIS is aware of the pending caseload for applicants in Ciudad Juarez and is taking proactive steps to work through these cases.

This change is separate and distinct from the provisional waiver proposal published in the Federal Register on Mar. 30, 2012.

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