Hello everyone! I really love this forum, and I have learnt a lot here. I am a first time waiver application with no criminal conviction, only overstayed my visa.
Please do you have any idea how long it takes from submission to completion. I submitted 2 weeks ago.
Also, I had my DNA taken cos I will be traveling with my kids who are minor and the CBp officer had to deny me entry into the US first before she could process my application. She explained that I will need to be refused entry first because I have never attempted to travel to the US since I left 5years ago.
Has anyone experienced this before?
Can you shed more light and also let me know how long it could take to process first time waiver application.
Timeline for first time waiver applicant
Half of what you are told is deceptive or information they think is correct but is not.
I am finding 60-65 days is the time it is taking right now, the longest period since the pandemic started. In 2 weeks, this timeline could be completely different. I try and update the forum with timelines, so check in on a weekly basis and you will see plenty of information.
Also, lots of people who DYI waivers post, which gives a lot of different perspectives. A LOT of the information is current, so please look around and you will get a ton of information.
@J Rogers My waiver application stated submitted to ARO on may 3rd I have flights booked on July 14th to take my daughter to Disneyland. Do you think I will receive my waiver in time it is exactly 72 days from may 3 that my flight leaves. Was hoping to get some feedback from you. I used allcleared based in Vancouver to submit my waiver application.
If you used AllCleared, you basically paid to do the waiver yourself. LOL And they are NOT cheap.
Here are my last 3 waivers so you can compare. 72 days IS possible right now.
5 YEAR WAIVER
Documents Shared With You
ARO Decision
Please review the documents
Status History (5)
6/16/2022, 01:00 PM EDT : Status changed to Completed
4/12/2022, 04:00 PM EDT : Status changed to Submitted to ARO
4/6/2022, 04:43 PM EDT : Status changed to Paid
4/6/2022, 04:41 PM EDT : Status changed to Signed
4/1/2022, 10:41 AM EDT : Application Created
___________________________________________________________
5 YEAR WAIVER
Documents Shared With You
ARO Decision
Please review the documents
Status History (5)
6/17/2022, 08:00 AM EDT : Status changed to Completed
4/12/2022, 09:30 PM EDT : Status changed to Submitted to ARO
4/4/2022, 12:26 PM EDT : Status changed to Paid
4/4/2022, 12:24 PM EDT : Status changed to Signed
10/6/2021, 03:46 PM EDT : Application Created
_______________________________________
1 year waiver
Documents Shared With You
ARO Decision
Please review the documents
Status History (5)
6/17/2022, 03:30 PM EDT : Status changed to Completed
4/11/2022, 08:00 PM EDT : Status changed to Submitted to ARO
3/16/2022, 09:43 PM EDT : Status changed to Paid
3/16/2022, 09:42 PM EDT : Status changed to Signed
3/10/2022, 01:37 PM EST : Application Created
______________________________________
Since we are talking about timelines, here is a client with a longer timeline because they also were asked to do a an I-212.
Both applications are granted separately but within the same day.
5 year waiver and I-212
I-192
Documents Shared With You
ARO Decision
Please review the documents
Status History (7)
6/21/2022, 02:00 PM EDT : Status changed to Completed
6/21/2022, 12:02 PM EDT : Status changed to Request for More Information Response
3/29/2022, 08:00 AM EDT : Status changed to Request for More Information
3/1/2022, 10:00 AM EST : Status changed to Submitted to ARO
2/25/2022, 02:00 PM EST : Status changed to Paid
2/25/2022, 01:56 PM EST : Status changed to Signed
12/22/2021, 02:56 PM EST : Application Created
I-212
Documents Shared With You
ARO Decision
Please review the documents
Status History (5)
6/21/2022, 02:00 PM EDT : Status changed to Completed
4/11/2022, 04:00 PM EDT : Status changed to Submitted to ARO
4/6/2022, 09:44 PM EDT : Status changed to Paid
4/6/2022, 09:37 PM EDT : Status changed to Signed
3/31/2022, 10:13 AM EDT : Application Created
@L I'd be very surprised if you get your waiver in time. I submitted mine at the beginning of March on eSAFE and it's approaching 120 days/4 months. It's my first waiver. I have no criminal record, and no overstay, just denial of entry based on suspected employment/marriage (no evidence found). I'm feeling hopeless and feel like they are just dragging it out to deny me. If you get yours sooner please do update us. I feel like I'll never get it.
I did a I-212 waiver so I don't know if it takes longer (as J's last post seems to indicate..) but even those longer cases already took way less than mine is taking right now.
If you did the waiver "well" you might get a September Letter. That takes longer.
Also, when you have a case that isn't "normal" or "simple", you end up on a supervisors desk. Sounds like you are in the category, and you also did an I-212, so that means your waiver has to be approved in 2 categories. Were you specifically TOLD you HAD to do an I-212 by Homeland Security? What your describing seems not related to an I-212 at all. I would have only filed the I-192 and then only done an I-212 if TOLD you had to. Why? Well its an extra $930USD plus, what would you even check off as an I-212 category? You didn't overstay, you weren't deported....seems odd.
"L" is in a different category. I think he will get it in time actually. I had a client similar to him get it in 64 days today.
Typically why is one asked to do an I-212?
Just curious as to what that generally means in the scheme of things if they ask for this particular submission.
Generally if you look at the I-212 forms, people who are deported, people who have felonies in the US and are deported, people caught overstaying, these are more "typical" I-212 cases. If you are denied entry because they THINK you might overstay, that is not usually an I-212.
@J Rogers Homeland didn't tell me which waiver to submit. My lawyer said I have to (only) submit I-212 as I was denied entry and was expeditiously removed. I didn't overstay per se but I did go in and out with total time spent in the US in a year amounting to about 11 months.
How much longer would the "supervisor's desk" route take?
It is hard to say. This seems like a classic overstay. I would have taken a different route. Paid for a waiver which is $585.00 USD not $930.
The problem is that there is no way to know what the lawyer said in the personal letter. I have seen some decent ones, but I have also seen long ones that are garbage because they talk like lawyers demanding you have your right to re-enter reinstated.
As Canadians, you are allowed to stay 180 days out of a calendar year. Some people think its 3 months, then I leave for a month then I get another 6 months.
No. In a year you get to stay 180 days period. So you overstayed a significant amount of time, which is a classic waiver application.
@J Rogers you mean an i-192 waiver instead of i-212?
I wrote the personal letter myself and basically outlined all the facts, explained what I was doing in US, and grovelled for forgiveness and another chance (multiple times).
So does this mean I will get denied as an overstay case? Or just longer wait time?
Thank you for answering all my questions!
Just to clarify… after reading some of the recent posts here a “classic overstay “ generally doesn’t need to have an I-212 waiver application filed, is that what one can glean from this?
And do you anticipate that waivers are going to start taking significantly longer to be approved than the 60 odd days they now seem to be taking or is this a glitch in the matrix, as it were?
Thanks everyone, I will keep praying and keep my fingers crossed. I will update you guys once I hear back from them soon.
I think we have a traffic jam of waivers combined with the fact payments are/were not working, but remember 90 days was typical a couple of years ago anyways.
I think that the time will get better once the demand gets more reasonable.
If a person overstays, I do a waiver. (I-192) 90% of the time, problem solved. Occasionally the person is asked for an additional I-212 as well.
Has anyone received any more approvals this week. Was hoping the timeline is still 60-65 days @J Rogers
My 'Submitted to ARO' date is April 20th.
Today is 70 days - No waiver yet :|
@Beezur I've been told by multiple lawyers that currently 4 months wait time is normal for eSAFE..
I'm not sure how reliable that information is, and I am sure @J Rogers can confirm, but in order for that to be true, at this point, we would not see waivers issued for anything submitted to ARO past February15th or so.
However, we have seen waivers issued for e-safe submissions well into April.
The wait is definitely getting longer, but It's just too early to say that the average is anything more than the longest time we have seen. Which as far as I can tell, is not four months.
B.