I am preparing our waiver & extreme hardship letter and would like any input from folks who have had their 601's adjudicated in the Rome office (we are Paris via Rome for the waiver part). I would like to get an idea of what has been approved denied in the way of what kind of hardships people have. Our situation is an overstay (1+ yr), I have 2 USC kids with my ex here and I cannot relocate to France if the waiver is denied. No major medical, a couple of new medical issues due to the immigration stress, like everyone else. Anyway, any thoughts welcome.

Yes, I have tried I2US site and it doesn't work at all (technically-speaking)

Thanks!

Our waiver was approved by Rome in threee months. This is faster than most I have seen so may not be the norm. I (USC) don't have kids or severe medical issues. But, my husband is Algerian so my hardships were mostly the conditions in Algeria which are very easy to document with US gov sources and also to attest to as I was with him in Algeria. I documented everything meticulously. In general, I think Rome has a pretty good approval rate for well documented cases. But, I thought Paris adjudicated its own, no?

Thank you soooo much for sharing your experience!! That was a fast approval, however, I bet you were so happy!! Paris embassy waivers go to the Rome USCIS office. Our interview will be in Paris, though.

Did you guys consider getting a lawyer? I'm afraid that what I think is enough documentation may not be for them. Anyway, thanks for sharing.

We did use a lawyer. Our immigration saga is a long one and our lawyer was with us throughout. For the I-601 part, though, I think I could have done it by myself. I did most of the writing/research. They added some legal wording at the beginning which can't hurt, but was probably not entirely necessary either. Plus, I do not think most lawyers know the waiver process well. But, if you can find one who does, it may be worth it. I know many people recommend Laurel Scott and she seems really good. My gut instinct, in your shoes, would be to at least talk with a few lawyers with experience as your hardships are not obvious. Anyone who has done these before should be able to probe a bit and help you present them in the most effective way (and maybe even find some new ones). And, should you be denied, you want a lwayer who already knows your case so you can respond quickly to the denial.

In addition to our lawyer, I had the help of my Congressman's office and I think that helped quite a bit with the fast response from Rome. If you are in a decent district, be sure to contact Congresspeople.

I wish I2US was up and running as we had a rash of Rome approvals a few months ago and the stories might help you. Keep trying.