U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
Form I-601 - Application for a Waiver of Ground of Inadmissibility Filing the Application Department of Homeland Security U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services PO Box 9896 El Paso, Texas 79995
In certain circumstances, individuals who have been found ineligible for an immigrant visa under the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) may file an Application for Waiver of Ground of Inadmissibility (Form I-601). The I-601 and the Extreme Hardship Instructions (PDF) are filed at the Ciudad Juarez U.S. Consulate where the beneficiary of the petition applied for the Immigrant Visa.
The waiver and supporting documentation is then reviewed by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Ciudad Juarez Office. If the waiver is readily approvable, the applicant usually receives his or her immigrant visa the next business day by the Dept. of State. Otherwise, the waiver is referred for a later final review and decision. Applicants are notified in writing of the decision and given instructions on how to proceed.
Jurisdiction for adjudicating the I-601 Application
The Ciudad Juarez Sub-office of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has jurisdiction for adjudicating all I-601 applications submitted to the Immigrant Visa Section at the Ciudad Juarez, Mexico U.S. Consulate. The Ciudad Juarez U.S. Consulate processes all Immigrant Visas for Mexico. The Ciudad Juarez USCIS Offices also reviews and adjudicates K-1 and K-3 Nonimmigrant Visa I-601 Waivers.
Processing Times
Should the I-601 waiver not be approved on the same day as its in person submission and is referred for a future and final review and adjudication, the current processing time is 13-15 months.
Extreme Hardship Evidence
You may submit Extreme Hardship Evidence at the time the I-601 Waiver is submitted to a consulate employee. However, should the waiver be referred you may mail additional hardship evidence to:
Expedited Waiver Processing
The Ciudad Juarez USCIS Office may consider the expeditious processing of a waiver in cases where the waiver applicant can show that an extreme medical condition or medical emergency exists or if the applicant’s military spouse is preparing or has already deployed to an overseas post.
Expedited waiver requests should be made to the Consular Officer or to our office using the above address.