Hi @Proudly Canadian Many thanks for your feedback and no offense taken. As I noted in my first comment, I am simply offering to share a resource (the spreadsheet) with this forum, which makes it easier for anyone waiting for an ARO waiver to see roughly how much longer they have to wait. I make a point in our tracker of pointing I-194 discussions back here. Our forum discusses the wait time and consular requests. The Travellerspoint forum is specifically for Brits travelling to the USA with a criminal record, and this one here is for I-194 discussions. The key challenge is signposting people to these forums in the first place. all the best, joolsjools.

@joolsjools don’t mean to be rude I think it’s great you’re maintaining this timeline but John had opened this specific chat for people to post time lines or trouble reaching the timelines I think if it’s a discussion about your worksheet you can open a new chat on the main page where people can see and explore that instead of on the chat specific for timelines instead of conversation as it’s bumping down the time lines people are posting You can certainly open a separate chat

@J Rogers I have added a lot of your submission and completed dates to our sheet. It's reassuring to see more evidence that the wait times we've been seeing are not unusual - well over 300 days for April applicants. We've had some results from May and June already; as you forum notes, the September results are a real curveball. Until now my B1/B2 waiver at 328 days was our longest, but some of your complex cases have taken over 400 days from the data! Hope this sheet will be useful to your clients and team, and anyone else who uses it.

Hi @Portfolio99 I have added an entry for you on our tracker sheet at https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1qzFVrHBGVC-7yzqEhidmBz52KqQXYyX8yr3nAhdCSgM/edit?gid=0gid=0. Our sheet was originally created to track waiver applications for NIV B1/B2 visa applications at the London consulate, rather than I-194's from Canada, but lots of users now use it from different countries. It basically shows the ARO processing time for waivers, and for visa applications, the time it takes to get your passport back from the consulate. Since the ARO process appears to be the same for I-194 and visa waivers, you can see where you are compared to others in the sheet (you're the longest we have so far :-( ). Our forum links in the sheet are not for I-194 discussions - that's what this forum is probably best for - but if you want to chat to others who are waiting in the same boat, you're welcome to say hi.

@J Rogers Thank you for your reply,

@Portfolio99 There is no information to provide. Keep checking, stop emailing, its a waste of time.

You obviously have been sent to a supervisor or something like that, since they are past March and now working on April. I assume you have the ability to check eSAFE so just keep looking. An answer will come eventually. Lots of clients have been asked for court TRANSCRIPTS even if they submitted court docs. Especially if you have multiple convictions.

Hello, Please can you provide me some information, I have summited my application on March 14 2024, Multiple charge from 35 years ago, non violence, no drug no impair, it was small amount fraud, I have a received a pardon 25years ago.
On my last email to ARO, the reply was : Your application is under process.

It was originally for NIV B1/B2 waivers, but has already expanded a lot beyond those,

Since every waiver is now processed by the ARO, they all seem to be subject to the same delays (9-12 months). So I am happy to adjust the form to handle I-194 waivers - I have already modified some of the column headings.

In the end, the sheet is just there to allow people to see where they are in the process, and get moral support from the forums.

[ joolsjools appended this reply on March 12, 2025 @ 6:39 pm ]

And our forum on BritishExpat (link to it in the sheet) is also open to anyone who is waiting for a waiver, so you're welcome to point your clients to it if they want to chat about the wait and get moral support from others in the same position.

September Letter
I have no idea why.
-He has a pardon
-First application
-2018 (1) Assault (2) Assault (3) Uttering threats
Domestic and he argued that his wife made up the allegations because he wanted to leave her. They were first cousins and it was an arranged marriage. This led to problems having children which led to them losing children to miscarriages. This obviously strained the relationship. They client thought a fresh start would be best but his wife was upset because her family thought this is something that would bring "shame" to both families.

All I can surmise is that the US believed he was innocent, so therefore did not require him to have a Waiver. He also wanted to have the ability to have a TN visa, but other than him saying he was innocent and wanting a TN, there was NOTHING to indicate he might get a September Letter. Very happy for the client obviously.

3/12/2025, 02:00 PM EDT : Status changed to Completed
4/16/2024, 01:30 PM EDT : Status changed to Submitted to ARO
3/29/2024, 05:39 PM EDT : Status changed to Paid
3/29/2024, 05:38 PM EDT : Status changed to Signed
3/26/2024, 06:18 PM EDT : Application Created

@joolsjools Good information, but it looks like these timelines are mainly for Landed Immigrants or people getting visas, not Canadian Citizens getting waivers (that I can tell, correct me if I am wrong)

One of our members in our BritishExpats.com forum just discovered this group. We have a Google Sheets tracker which started off for B1/B2 consular waiver applications, but now covers lots of Canadian and other waivers also. Happy for you guys to add to it as the more data, the more useful it becomes. Support for the sheet is mostly in our forum, but do leave your username and forum in your entry so we know where you're from.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1qzFVrHBGVC-7yzqEhidmBz52KqQXYyX8yr3nAhdCSgM/edit?gid=0gid=0

All the best, joolsjools

waiver denied. 2015 Trafficking cocaine, a large amount 2 years less a day is the sentence. Borderline for sure.

Documents Shared With You
ARO Decision
Please review the documents
ARO Decision
Please review the documents
ARO Decision
Please review the documents
Status History (5)
3/10/2025, 12:30 PM EDT : Status changed to Completed
3/18/2024, 11:00 AM EDT : Status changed to Submitted to ARO
3/12/2024, 11:16 AM EDT : Status changed to Paid
3/12/2024, 11:14 AM EDT : Status changed to Signed
3/5/2024, 10:05 AM EST : Application Created

I applied for a first-time waiver on October 20, 2024.
No criminal record. Had a small joint in my car.
What are the approximate timelines right now for approval for first time applicants with no criminal record? Any chance I'll get it before June?

@J Rogers are there usually any court docs even remaining in the database for a theft that old?

5 year waiver
First application - Theft Under in 1994 and they asked for more court docs.

Worth it, he got 5 years.

Please review the documents
Status History (7)
3/11/2025, 10:00 AM EDT : Status changed to Completed
3/7/2025, 11:08 AM EST : Status changed to Request for More Information Response
3/5/2025, 12:00 PM EST : Status changed to Request for More Information
4/18/2024, 02:00 PM EDT : Status changed to Submitted to ARO
4/13/2024, 12:40 PM EDT : Status changed to Paid
4/13/2024, 12:38 PM EDT : Status changed to Signed
4/11/2024, 10:04 AM EDT : Application Created

@PumpedUpTravelled Hopefully you can improve the application and get a longer waiver. I RARELY ever get 2 waivers for 1 year back to back (it does happen but very rare) and you should also not settle. Improve the application and re-apply, but wait for a couple of months at least. They do not look at the date of your last waiver and you don;t want it cut short. Get the full year out of it.

@PumpedUpTravelled yes absolutely

Applied April 2024
Received mine just last week. March 2025

1 year waiver drug conviction in Canada.

Do you all think if I want another year waiver I should just apply now again?

@Alyssa the price hike was on April 01 2024
Everyone rushed to pay and file in March
And they went to border sometime in April
I assume once April is over then things should pick up

Is May 15th when the price went up? Hopefully after that we’ll see better movement