2. Current Proposal: Lockbox Filing
Today, USCIS announced that it plans to transition the filing of Form I-601, Application for Waiver of Grounds of Inadmissibility, filed by applicants residing outside the United States to Centralized Lockbox Filing in the United States.
3. Why the proposed change?
USCIS officials expressed several noteworthy concerns that they hope to alleviate and/or eliminate with the proposed change, including extensive processing delays, inconsistent adjudication, and additional costs to the applicants (such as the costs involved in attending a separate waiver interview at some consular posts). 7. How many officers will work in the I-601 unit?
USCIS reports that they will start with 14 experienced adjudicators with the ultimate goal of having a staff of 26.
8. Will you be able to file the I-601 abroad after the change is implemented?
After the program goes into effect, an applicant will have the option to either file the application with the Lockbox or with the foreign-office USCIS. This option will be available for the first six months of the program. Thereafter, everyone residing abroad will have to file their applications with the lockbox absent certain limited circumstances.10. How long will adjudication take?
USCIS’ goal is six months or less. Today’s speakers were confident that they will be able to achieve this goal because the Service Centers’ resources, including personnel, are vastly larger than those at USCIS overseas offices. They even suggested that they might be able to adjudicate waiver applications in less than six months, but that remains to be seen.13. What Will Happen to Pending Cases?
USCIS will not transfer pending cases to be adjudicated in the United States. The good news is that they expect those cases to be processed a little faster once the burden of additional filings is removed from foreign USCIS offices. Again, we will have to wait and see.
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