There was an issue about whether the chat would take place this week as the attorney has an upcoming surgery, but the surgery has been scheduled for March 20 and the chat will take place as planned on March 14 and March 21.. The surgery is to have wisdom teeth removed and is not considered serious.

On Friday, March 9 there was a public stakeholders meeting with the Refugee, Asylum and International Operations (RAIO) division of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS). The stakeholders meeting was regarding "Lockbox Filing", a change in procedure for I-601 waivers filed by applicants outside the US, after the consular interview. With "Lockbox Filing", the applicant will mail the completed waiver packet to a address in the US and the case will be adjudicated at the Nebraska Service Center. Lockbox Filing is not to be consused with the proposed Provisional Waiver Program, a change in procedure that would allow certain applicants to file their waiver applications in advance of the consular interview.

January 10, 2012

Today’s stakeholders meeting was primarily to get comments from the public, rather than to answer questions, though they did provide some new information. Reporters were not permitted to ask questions during the meeting. The majority of questions and comments were from attorneys, though some members of the public who are not attorneys also participated. The meeting started about 20 minutes late and ran for an hour and 40 minutes, which is longer than most stakeholders meetings. Among the information provided by the government is the following:

January 9, 2012

Comments on common questions I am getting from clients regarding the new waiver procedure:

1. How likely is this to happen?

Friday, January 6, 2012

Today USCIS announced that it intends to change the I-601 waiver process. The spouse or child of a US citizen will be able to file the I-601 from within the US for unlawful presence grounds of inadmissibility only (INA 212(a)(9)(B)(v)) and have a decision in hand before proceeding to the consulate abroad.

The announcement makes clear that misrepresentation and criminal history will not be waived under this procedure and applicants with these grounds of inadmissibility must apply at the consulate as they do currently. The new procedure will also not apply which the qualifying relative is a permanent resident or when the qualifying relative is a US citizen fiancé (e). Such applicants will also still need to apply at the consulate.