After many months of waiting from the public, USCIS has finally informed the public that it will modify its current policy on how it will adjudicate I-601A provisional waivers for applicants with criminal convictions.
USCIS has announced that it will no longer wrongfully deny waivers that involve certain criminal convictions. Our office is now assisting eligible clients with criminal convictions in filing their I-601A provisional waivers.
Effective March 4, 2013, some immigration visa applicants may apply for provisional unlawful presence waivers before leaving the U.S. These applicants should be immediate relatives of the U.S. citizen. Waiver application is available before the immigrant leaves for his or her U.S. embassy or consulate interview. This new process was designed to decrease the wait time for the U.S. citizen’s relatives to come back to the states when they are obtaining immigrant visas for permanent residency.
However, there are a few things to be aware of to prevent revocation of the provisional waiver. The waiver is revoked if the Department of State terminates the application, USCIS revokes the petition, the consular officer at the embassy determines inadmissibility, or you try to enter the U.S. without inspection before your visa is issued.
