CDJ I-601 waiver filing appt. through InfoPass PLEASE HELP!!

[tom_luvz_morelia 0]

Hello everyone,

My wife had an appointment to file her I-601 waiver on Wednesday March 7th which we scheduled through infopass online. As most of you probably know, this is the way they are having you do it through the consulate in ciudad juarez to file your waiver after your interview. Today I cancelled the appointment in hopes of waiting for the new pilot program for speedy waiver processing. But when I cancelled the appointment, it said on the screen that you may not be able to reschedule this appointment. So then I went back on to try to schedule just to see if I could. They do let you reschedule, but the window they had for me was between now and March 16. My question is do they only give you a window of a couple weeks to schedule your I-601 waiver filing after your interview? They wouldn't even allow you to schedule for April yet. I am worried. We have been waiting for 15 months now to file this waiver and now I am not sure if we will get another chance if we don't file it now. We want to hold out for the pilot program, but if we can't get an appointment to file later if we don't file now then I am not sure. I am really worried. Does anyone out there have an answer for this???

Thanks everybody, Tom

[kitkat1 5]

Tom, I suggest you email CDJ using the contact information from their website. Infopass for waiver appointments there is brand new - not sure anyone here can answer for you but you'll have better luck on I2us

Edited March 5, 2007 by kitkat1

[luvinmb 0]

I would have emailed CDJ prior to cancelling my appointment. Since you already have cancelled your appointment, I would still email them and find out about rescheduling. I would think that you would have a window of time from your interview to either make another appointment to file the waiver in person or mail it in to their offices. I personally did not want to miss my original interview and wanted to file in person, which we did back in January.

I think the waiver pilot program sounds good, but I wouldn't bank on something that "might" happen, over a system that is already in place. I know the current system takes a long time, but the wait should start to come down......Just don't mess yourself up waiting on the unknown to happen......Good Luck!

P.S. CDJ is known for giving bad advice and mixed messages. So you might also consult an attorney that knows consulate facts.....

[blueblue 0]

Announcement - New USCIS Waiver Processing Pilot in Ciudad Juarez

At the Northwest Regional AILA Conference in Portland on March 1, Warren Janssen, USCIS OIC at the USCIS office in Ciudad Juarez , announced a new pilot program for waiver processing at Cd. Juarez. Mr. Janssen will start the following process for new incoming waiver cases beginning Tuesday, March 6. (Please note that due to the mode of implementation, you cannot refile cases already pending under this new pilot.) This pilot is an effort to come up with new ways to use available resources with limited staff to shorten waiver processing times.

Pilot description:

* When a consular officer makes a determination of inadmissibility at the time of the immigrant visa interview and a waiver application may be submitted under 8 CFR 212.7, the applicant will be given a USCIS waiver letter, which indicates that the applicant may go on-line via INFOPASS to make an appointment to come back to the Consulate in Cd. Juarez to submit an I-601 or I-212, as applicable, with a fully documented waiver packet.

* These INFOPASS appointments may be scheduled prior to the immigrant visa interview, but they must NOT be made for the day of the immigrant visa interview. For those with waiver packets fully documented and ready for adjudication, the earliest such a waiver review appointment should be made is a day after the immigrant visa interview. A better approach may be to wait at least two days to make sure that the fingerprints taken on the date of the immigrant visa interview have cleared.

* In order to set up this process, Mr. Janssen had to find staff to be able to do fingerprint intake on the date of the immigrant visa interview as well as to accept the G-325.

* When the waiver applicant comes back to the consulate with the COMPLETE and FULLY DOCUMENTED waiver application, a USCIS employee will review the packet (not interview the applicant), and if the case is a clean one and clearly approvable, the waiver application may be approved that day. Then, the Consulate will either approve the immigrant visa that day or within the next one to two days.

* If the submitted packet is not clearly approvable, then the application will go into the regular processing waiting line (10 TO 11 months) and the applicant will be instructed to provide additional supporting documentation to USCIS. Thus, using this process, the applicant will get a second chance for review versus exposure to a denial at the time of the first review.

Ways to put this new program in danger of termination:

* DO NOT USE INFOPASS TO MAKE A WAIVER APPOINTMENT UNDER THIS NEW SYSTEM FOR PENDING CASES OR FOR ANY OTHER PURPOSE THAN AN INITIAL WAIVER REVIEW. NOTE: NO WAIVER REVIEW MAY OCCUR BEFORE THE IMMIGRANT VISA INTERVIEW AT THE CONSULATE.

* DO NOT WASTE APPOINTMENT SLOTS FOR WAIVER SUBMISSIONS, WHICH ARE NOT FULLY DOCUMENTED AND READY FOR FINAL CONSIDERATION.

Mr. Janssen will continue to try to reduce the backlog of pending cases. The hope is that reducing the level of growth of the backlog by using this pilot will eventually result in an overall reduction of the waiver processing times. Although no program is ideal, and, as with any new endeavor, Mr. Janssen expects to have to make modifications, if this works, our clients could benefit from a reduction from the 8-to-9 month wait for waiver application review. Our sincere thanks to Mr. Janssen in trying to improve a very difficult situation.

[Suegra! 0]

Immigrate2US had their first INFOPASS Pilot Program approval on 8 March 07. Waiver approved and VISA in hand by the end of the day.