Background
Methodology
For this review, the Ombudsman visited government facilities that manage and oversee various aspects of inadmissibility waiver processing at the USCIS Ciudad Juarez Field Office (CDJ), primarily CDJ itself and the International Adjudications Support Branch in Anaheim, California.
Additionally, the Ombudsman met with national and community-based organizations that file a high volume of waivers of inadmissibility. In August 2009, the Ombudsman held a public teleconference, entitled “I-601 Inadmissibility Waivers – How Are They Working For You?” in conjunction with the Community Call-In Teleconference Series.11 The Ombudsman also reviewed case problems and inquiries submitted by individuals.
11 _1171038701035.shtm (accessed June 3, 2010).
12 Individuals who are approved VAWA self-petitioners or T nonimmigrants seeking adjustment of status must file at the Vermont Service Center; individuals in the United States concurrently submitting Form I-485 (Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status) must file at the location specified on the Form I-485 instructions; individuals with a pending Form I-485 must file with the appropriate USCIS Lockbox facility; individuals in removal proceedings must file with the appropriate Executive Office for Immigration Review office; and, Temporary Protected Status applicants must file at the location specified in the published Federal Register notice for the appropriate country’s Temporary Protected Status designation. See generally USCIS, “Instructions for I-601, Application for Waiver of Grounds of (accessed June 3, 2010).
Legal and Procedural Framework
Section 212 of the INA identifies the various grounds of inadmissibility, including those that may not be waived (See Table A).
Table A - General Categories of Grounds of Inadmissibility
*Not all listed here may be waived
• Health (communicable disease, drug abuse, failure to obtain required vaccinations, physical / mental disorder, etc.)
• Criminal (convicted of, or admitting to, crimes involving moral turpitude, controlled substance, prostitution, trafficking, etc.)
• Immigration (misrepresentation of material facts in order to obtain an immigration benefit, reentry after deportation, student visa abuse, unlawful presence, etc.)
• Security (terrorist activity, membership in a totalitarian party, participation in persecution or torture, etc.)
• Miscellaneous (polygamy, likelihood of becoming a public charge, draft evasion, etc