I-194 Waiver Forum

Using a waiver expert vs DIY - a story

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J Rogers Trusted posted

We talk about this all the time, and I want to be clear on the difference.

I talked to a very nice man on here who had a son who had a misrepresentation in 2022. It had to do with doing his residency (he is a medical school graduate)

The son is smart. The father is smart, and called me constantly after the waiver had been submitted to basically stress about the case.
I would have told the father "he is not going to get this waiver". Maybe 5% possibility but not more.
This is a person who NEEDS an expert. Yet for all his badly wanting this waiver, they decided to do it on their own.

So, result, waiver denied. Worse, the personal letter said things I cannot now refute. I am STUCK with whatever statements were made.

Had this happened in 2010, then doing it himself was not such a risk.

Now, if you have a shoplifting that is old, you did you research, and you don't mind rolling up your sleeves, there is very little damage you can do.
If your offence is serious, has serious sentences, or involves trafficking of drugs or people, if you have sexual assault, or if you have offences which are not serious but less than 5 years old, GET AN EXPERT.

My service costs money, and not every waiver applicant needs it. That is why I am happy to share on here. DIY are going to DIY, but as a Canadian, I want them to still be on the right track. We are all Canadian, and I want Canadians to do well.

If your waiver is a struggle, if its a tough issue, or you are just stuck, get an expert. I COULD do my own taxes, but I really cannot be bothered. I want them DONE, and no hassle.

I have no problem with DIY;s, and encourage anyone who wants to try. But its insane to say "my son is desperate to get this, but it just going to try it himself". It defies logic. Be smart. Know YOURSELF. If you can save money, and still get a good result, then I cannot argue with that logic. But don't risk your ability to travel, or even make future waivers harder by filing a bad waiver.

This is my opinion, and I will not get offended by anyone who disagrees with me. Feel free to debate this here, and I promise to participate.

Tiffany

Misrepresentation in 2022 and already denied? He must have wanted to go back to the States badly.

CelineT

Hi. Thanks for your post. Is your concern that a non-expert might further incriminate themself in a personal letter? Or not show enough contrition?

SouthernBBQ

Issue is some of us pay for experts.. Who turn out to be incompetent.

Waiver company I hired was exactly that.
A lawyer I hired to deal with a tenancy issue recently was exactly that.
A environmental engineer I hired recently missed a massive issue which will cost well into six figures.

[ SouthernBBQ appended this reply on March 7, 2023 @ 8:27 pm ]

So in some cases people may feel rather than rolling the dice with a expert.. They do it on their own.

It'd be easier if all experts were created equal

J Rogers Trusted

@SouthernBBQ I agree 100%.

I have put up a thread in the past where I name certain companies and "bad actors".

The truth of the matter is companies (experts) copy each other. Years ago even I did waiver much differently than I did now. At some point I looked at the stats and realized that almost 30% of clients were not finishing waivers. I depend on referrals and I KNEW that I had to make the process easier to get closer to 90+% because it made good BUSINESS sense.

A "good" waiver expert should;
-explain all the details BEFORE you apply, meaning everything YOU will have to do
(provide proof of employment for example, and travel to the border at least once)

-explain ALL the costs, and any POSSIBLE costs. For example, I explain $750 includes fingerprints and taxes and the US fee of $585 is separate. If a person MIGHT have to do an I-212 I make sure they are aware of it. This will cost them an extra $930 USD and I do not charge for it if they get stuck doing it.

-explain, based on their experience, WHAT the client will get. September Letter? 1 year? 5 year? Rejected? They should be able to JUSTIFY why. BEFORE money has been paid.

-give you ACCURATE timelines. Be able to SHOW you why they think that timeline is accurate.

-be easy to reach on the phone. I have staff who can help if I am not available. I also forward my phones when I am not in the office for emergencies and we have a text line as well. If a person calls and says "I am at the border" I will take that call NO MATTER WHAT. Even if I am with a client.

-an expert should WANT to handle as much of the waiver as possible. They should ALWAYS write the personal letter. They should OFFER to write the reference letters if the person absolutely is stuck. Offer to obtain the court documents if they are needed. Its is a SERVICE.

-BE ACCREDITED BY THE RCMP. If they are not, that is a HUGE red flag. The companies that control the machines are trying to steal affiliates all the time. If you cannot get accreditation, you then must go elsewhere for fingerprints. You also don't know if the "expert" possibly has a criminal record himself (Like the guy at Dominion Pardons who is the worst of thee worst) or might close down and open under a new name (Scotia Pardons which became Pardons 4 less) or even has a real office you can visit. The RCMP puts me through a ridiculous vetting process and a long interview where they are VERY effective at checking credit, history, even the websites you frequent.

Michelle in Saskatchewan has all these criteria, as do I. Few companies unfortunately do. Most do the BARE minimum. They are worried about the next body through the door. I am worried about each clients sending me MORE clients. I cannot get that if I do a crappy job. Every waiver I do is a "job interview".

This keeps me honest, and makes me WANT to do a good job.

Waiverpending2023

If waivers are denied is there a timeline one should wait before reapplying? Do they give specific details on why it is denied or is it just a cut and paste response?

J Rogers Trusted

@Waiverpending2023

It depends on WHY. If time was the issue, then wait until enough time has passed to get a different answer. Feel free to call me or email me the rejection and I can tell you what to do differently.

If time is NOT the issue, then you must CHANGE the application and include what they do not like.

Do not simply turn around a submit the application. That is a complete waste of money.

If anyone gets rejection letters, I am ALWAYS very interested in reading them and I will always give free advice. Rejection letters give me a wealth of information, and much of the advice I give here is FROM that. I learn much more form a "NO" then I do from a waiver that is granted.

pardon.experts@rogers.com. also you can text pictures to 647-533-9669. I prefer to only text at that number. You can easily reach me at 905-459-9669.

Waiverpending2023

@J Rogers

Thanks for the information. Just to clarify, I have my application pending, not approved or denied at this point. I’ve found this forum since submitting my application, and like many on here, am very anxious about the potential outcome. Did the application myself and after reading numerous posts here, professional help might’ve helped. I will definitely be in touch if the outcome is unfavorable as I don’t think time is the issue. For some context the charge is from 1999, is serious (not sexual) and I have a pardon (record suspension now). Submitted to ARO in August and had request for more information in November (court transcripts) which took almost the entire 87 days to obtain and submit. Been just over 2 weeks since those were submitted and now anxiously await a decision.

J Rogers Trusted

@Waiverpending2023

It sounds like you will be fine. If you get a 5 year waiver, then you got the same result someone else would have also obtained, so you did a good job. Let us know how it turns out. It probably will not be long.

SouthernBBQ

Are court transcripts normal? What if a case was multiple months due to various co-accused and complexity.

Waiverpending2023

@J Rogers

Received a response this morning on this and I’m assuming this is what’s referred to as a September Letter? Below is the contents of the decision:


This correspondence is in reference to your form I-192, Application for Advance Permission to Enter as Nonimmigrant, submitted by you on or about August 13, 2022.

We have reviewed the circumstances surrounding your request for admission on or about August 13, 2022 at the SWEETGRASS, MT Port of Entry. It is the determination of this office that you do not require discretionary relief under INA 212(d)(3)(A) to seek entry into the United States.

Your future inspections, upon applying for admission to the United States, will be conducted in the normal process accorded an applicant seeking admission into this country.

Marsha

@Waiverpending2023 I don’t think this is a September letter. This simply tells you that you don’t need a waiver and they’ll treat you like any visitor to the US that’s not inadmissible. I could be wrong but that’s my understanding of it.

Waiverpending2023

@Marsha

Is that not pretty much the same thing? Saying I don’t need a waiver and treat me like I’m not inadmissible due to my prior convictions? Definitely confused on this wording.

Waiverpending2023

@BM
Thanks for clarifying. Super pumped about this outcome! Long drawn out process from August 2022 until now including providing court transcripts when they asked for them in November but it was worth it in the end.

J Rogers Trusted

@BM Good call. Yes that is a September Letter. That is the best possible result. Print it out and put it in a safe place. After 30 days you will not be able to access it. Have multiple copies. Eventually you will not need to show it BUT you never know.

September Letters have never been so abundant. If you were EVER going to get a September Letter, NOW is the time.

J Rogers Trusted

@Waiverpending2023

Thank you for sharing this great news with everyone. I said a "5 year was the best possible result" but obviously, I was wrong, in a good way.

You said the offences were serious, not sexual. and that you had a pardon. I am going to take a guess and say they were gun related. You obviously can share what you are comfortable sharing (we don't know you) but I guarantee everyone is going to be curious because of this result. You also won't be needing to hang around waiver forums anymore.

My most recent September Letters were guns and one Assault CBH in 2017 with a breach in 2018. I told him he would be lucky to get a 1 year waiver....he got a September Letter. I have no idea why, but obviously thrilled I was wrong.

Waiverpending2023

@casper @J Rogers

Charge was aggravated assault. I was 17 at the time but was charged as an adult. Wasn’t the result I was expecting for sure but am ecstatic that I won’t have to go thru the process again. Once they asked for court transcripts I was leaning towards being denied rather than a September letter. Submitted the transcripts on February 22, 2023 and decision on April 19, 2023 to give some people some context of the timeline.

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