USCIS to Centralize Filing and Adjudication for Certain Waviers of Inadmissibility in the United States

New System Will Standardize Process for Immigrant Visa Applicants Worldwide


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 non-immigrant K or V visa, must send their waiver applications.

Currently, applicants experience processing times from one-month to more than a year depending on their filing location. This centralization will provide customers with faster and more efficient application processing and consistent adjudication. It is part of a broader agency effort to transition to domestic filing and adjudication; it does not reflect a change in policy or the standards by which the applications are adjudicated. Individuals filing waiver applications with a USCIS Lockbox will now be able to track the status of their case online.

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).

Applicants who mail their waiver request forms should use the address provided in the revisedform instructions on the USCIS website. Applicants who wish to receive an email or text message when USCIS has received their waiver request may attach Form G-1145, E-Notification of Application/Petition Acceptance, to their application.

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. USCIS will significantly increase the number of officers assigned to adjudicate the residual cases filed before June 4, and those filed during the interim six-month transition period. USCIS has already begun to test this process and has transferred applications from Ciudad Juarez to other USCIS offices in the United States.  

USCIS Changes Look and Feel of Form I-797C

On April 2, 2012, USCIS  issued Form I-797C, Notice of Action, with a new look and feel. USCIS will print the Form I-797C on plain bond paper. This change is estimated to save the agency about $1.1 million per year. 

This form change will help reduce public perception that the Form I-797C demonstrates evidence of an immigration benefit or status. The top of the new Form I-797C will clearly display: “THIS NOTICE DOES NOT GRANT ANY IMMIGRATION STATUS OR BENEFIT.” The following is a sample of how this disclaimer will appear on the Form I-797C:

Please note, the Form I-797C, Notice of Action is used ONLY for certain types of communication between individuals and the agency including notifications of:

• Receipt (notifies the customer that their payment and application/petition has been received by USCIS)
• Rejection (notifies the customer that their application/petition has been rejected due to incorrect information or payment)
• Transfer (notifies the customer that their case was relocated to another USCIS office for processing)
• Re-Open (notifies the customer that USCIS has approved a motion to re-open their completed case and it is being processed)
• Appointment (notifies the customer that they have an appointment with USCIS to obtain fingerprint or biometric capture, to attend an interview, or that their appointment has been rescheduled)

Form I-797C appointment notices will also contain disability accommodation information on the back of the form.  Previously this information was included as a separate flyer that was sent along with the notice.  Printing this information on the back of the form will save additional resources by consolidating the notice and disability information into one form.

Form I-797C Notice of Actions issued before April 2, 2012, will remain valid. This change to Form I-797C is part of our ongoing efforts to improve customer service while enhancing agency operations.