Nice littel brochure to explain I601 process

[Sergi9 110]

Link to Laurel Scott brochure

OVERVIEW OF THE PROCESS

Your case has three main steps: petition, application and waiver. The

petition has to be approved before the application is made. The application

step itself has two parts: NVC processing in the US and the consular

interview abroad. The waiver is filed at or after the consular interview. The

timelines and procedural details for each step are constantly being changed

by the government. Each step requires a separate government filing fee, as

well as a wide variety of supporting documents (e.g. birth certificate,

photos, etc.) and supplementary forms (e.g. I-864, G-325A, etc.).

STEP ONE: The I-130 petition

Form I-130 is the petition. The petition packet and filing fee are usually

filed by mail in the US. It can take 3-9 months or longer for the petition to

be approved. While the pending or approved petition does not give the

alien any right to remain in the US, there is usually no legal advantage to

having the alien depart the US prior to the consular interview.

STEP TWO: The DS-230 application

Following petition approval, about one month later the alien will receive an

invitation from the National Visa Center (NVC) to apply for a visa using

form DS-230. The immigrant visa fees are paid online. The application

packet is mailed to the NVC. About 1-3 months after everything is

submitted to the NVC, the alien will be scheduled for a consular interview.

1-2 days before the consular interview, there will be a medical exam abroad.

THE I-601 WAIVER STEP

Form I-601 is used to apply for most types of immigrant waivers. With rare

exception, it is required that the waiver application be filed in person by the

alien at the consulate at or after the consular interview. Some consulates

require the alien to make another appointment to submit the waiver packet.

The waiver packet will be sent by the consulate to a CIS office where it will

take 3-12 months or more to be decided. The alien must remain outside the

US while the waiver application is pending. After a waiver is approved, the

visa is usually issued by the consulate within 1-3 months. If a year has

lapsed since the last consular interview, the alien will have to refresh the

application materials, i.e. do ‘STEP TWO’ over again, except that

everything is provided to the consulate, not NVC and the immigrant visa

bill does not have to be paid again. Once the alien has the visa, he can then

enter the US, immediately becoming a permanent resident upon entry.

[nancyy 0]

Hello I have a question my husband is a Mexican national I'm a born us citizen had his consulate appointment back in December 2012 he had to do I601 we did that 2 days after consulate interview we got email on approved I601 on may 1 2013 can you tell me what to expect next wait for his green card or what do we need to do now? Thanks

[Lu5425 0]

Hello I had my consulate appointment Dec 18, 2012. The I-601 was received on January 22,2013. From the USCIS site their is an average time of 4 months. what are the chances it actually takes 4 months? I've lived my entire life in the US 24 years to be exact and I'm getting really down still being here being away from my wife and kid. Can someone help thanks..

[Jawaree 717]

You can only wait, after 6 mths call and check