US Waiver for Canadians

If you've been patient enough to wait the 120 days since submitting your I-192 waiver application  (application for advanced permission to enter the United States) there are a couple of options to get status. Keep in mind –  the Admissibility Review Office (ARO) states that a full review each submission can take up to a year – and requests for status updates may add to that timeline. Unfortunately, ARO doesn't respond to phone inquiries... or maybe they don't have a phone? Either way, they've limited us to the following 2 options to correspond: Email: inquiry.waiver.aro@dhs.gov And there is always the good ol' fashion way... Postal: US Customs and Border Protection Admissibility Review Office 7th Floor Mail Stop 1340 12825 Worldgate Dr Herndon, VA 20598-1340 Remember - you must allow at least 4 months from the date of submission before making an inquiry or they'll move your visa application to the bottom of the pile... (...

You must travel with your I-194 Waiver at all times, and losing it can be quite costly and time consuming to replace. You will need to submit an I-824 with an explanation as to why you need a replacement for your I-194 Waiver document. It will also cost another $405US for the replacement fee of the I-194 waiver, in addition to the $585US that was already paid when you submitted your I-192. As you can see, this is quite a hassle, as well as costly. It is imparitive you keep your I-194 in a safe place and you travel with it each and every time you cross for the duration of your waiver. It will not remain in the system that you have been approved, and you need the I-194 to travel or you will likely be denied and turned away at the border with instructions to obtain a replacement. Your I-194 waiver document must be valid when applying for a replacement document of course, and if you have less then 6 months left before your waiver expires, you may want to consider resubmitting a...

Here's the update to an earlier posting about a Canadian teacher in Indiana who when renewing his permit as a temporary worker was found to have an age-old conviction from 1964. A Canadian, Stephen R. Gill, was teaching English at Indiana University South Bend. Gill learned late last week that U.S. Customs & Border Protection gave him a 90-day extension on a humanitarian parole. That extension expires April 1. “I’m happy about it,” Gill said Tuesday from his South Bend home. Late last year, Gill had been ordered to leave the country and return to Canada by Monday. You can read the complete article here: " South Bend man gets reprieve on deportation to Canada ". The article incorrectly states that Gill has applied for the I-192. The I-192 is only the application form (Application for Advance Permission to Enter as a Non-Immigrant) which you submit in order to be considered for an I-194 waiver. I'll be surprised if U.S. Customs & Border Protection...

Thanks to those who participated in my recent poll "Do you have an I-194 waiver?". It turns out that of those who participated over half have applied or intend to for the I-194 waiver (Advance Permission to Enter as a Non-Immigrant). It is also interesting to note that the amount that have 1 year or 5 year waivers are very close (3 to 4). I had read somewhere that the waivers were granted as 1 year or 5 based on the degree or seriousness of the past offenses. If this is true, then wouldn't a person expect that if he/she were granted a 5 year waiver, he/she should always expect the 5 year waiver? I'd be happy to hear your comments and personal experiences on this. Update: See  I-192 Waiver Application Process

There is a thread over here ( I-601 and extreme... ) on the IWL discussion board which includes some excellent information regarding the filing of an extreme hardship waiver. Some additional information and the original post material can found over here ( general guide for waivers... ) on the Family Based Immigation forum . Hardship waivers are usually applied for when the individual intends to immigrate to the US but has been deemed inadmissible (excluded) because of: Health related problems (HIV, TB, etc) Criminal and related violations People likely to become a public charge on welfare Security and related violations Illegal entrants and immigration violators Document violations etc. Although this blog is mostly focused on those who wish to travel to the US but have no intention of immigrating (where an I-192 application is needed - Application for Advance Permission to Enter as a Non-Immigrant) I do intend to post when possible anything related to I-601 waivers in general.

I thought it might be useful to briefly recap the steps needed to apply for the I-194 (advance permission to enter the United States) after being denied entry at the US border (you can read about when I was refused entry and my background here ). Find your local fingerprint office (call to see if you need an appointment). Bring your passport and $25 CDN. See this previous post for details. Mail the C-216C form to the RCMP. Include a check for processing ($25 CDN). Refer to this post . Wait up to 2 months for a reply... When you receive your completed C-216C from the RCMP ensure it includes the fingerprint chart with a date stamp and the documentation related to your conviction and disposition. See this post about when I received mine. Complete a personal statement regarding your intended activities in the US. If you are inadmissible because of a criminal conviction you must also complete a statement explaining the circumstances of each arrest, conviction and the sentence or fi...

It took just over 9 months since submitting my I-192 application and almost 12 months since my process started but today I finally received my I-194 US waiver! For those of you that haven't gotten yours yet. Here is what it looks like: It comes on an ordinary letter sheet and includes a cover letter. The letter was dated November 3, 2006 and reads: Your application for advance permission to enter the United States as a nonimmigrant has been been approved. Enclosed is a copy of form I-194. The terms and conditions are: You are granted multiple entries into the United States at various points of entry as a visitor for business/pleasure/employment for a period of stay to be determined by the admitting officer, provided that you are not inadmissible to the United States under any other section of the law other than Section 212(a)(2)(A)(i)(I) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, as amended. VALID FOR FIVE YEARS FROM THE DATE OF APPROVAL. This letter and the form I-194 must be present...

Hello. I'm a Canadian who works in the High Tech industry. I've done so for the last 15 years. I'm in my early 40s and my job requires frequent travel to the US. On average I spend between 30 to 50 days in the US per year. While considering a new management role, I was asked by the company I work for to apply for a US work visa (an L1B). Thinking that this was a good opportunity for advancement, I went ahead and applied for the visa. The process involved my company's legal department drafting up some papers. While traveling to the US on one occasion I arrived at the airport early to submit my application and have my interview. Strangely for me, at one point during the interview the officer left the room briefly. He returned to ask me if I had ever had a criminal record. I did. I had been involved in delinquent activity when i was 18 and unsuccessfully attempted to steal a car stereo and then a second attempt to steal an actual car. On the first occasion I received a w...