Citizenship and Immigration Services
I-601 Application for Waiver of Grounds of Inadmissibility
Filing the Application
In certain circumstances, individuals who have been found ineligible for an immigrant visa under the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) may file an Application for Waiver of Ground of Inadmissibility (Form I-601). The I-601 and the Extreme Hardship Statements (PDF,16Kb) are filed with the Consular Officer at the Embassy/Consulate where the beneficiary of the petition applied for the Immigrant Visa. The Consular Officer sends the application for the waiver and all the required supporting documentation to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) office with jurisdiction for adjudicating the application. If the waiver is approved, USCIS sends that approval notification to the appropriate Embassy/Consulate for issuance of the immigrant visa. If the waiver is denied, the applicant will be notified in writing of that decision and the immigrant visa will not be issued.
If an applicant has been excluded, deported or removed the applicant may also need to file Form I-212, Application for Permission to Reapply for Admission into the United States after Deportation or Removal. This form can be filed overseas only if it is filed in conjunction with a Form I-601.
Jurisdiction for adjudicating the I-601 Application
The New Delhi Sub-office of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has jurisdiction for adjudicating I-601 applications submitted to the Immigrant Visa Section at U.S. Embassies/Consulates in the following countries: (1) India; (2) Nepal; (3) Bangladesh and (4) Sri Lanka.
Processing Times
The estimated processing time for adjudicating the I-601 application at this Office is currently six months from the date of receipt. We ask that you please refrain from contacting this office for status checks while your application is pending. Your cooperation will help us utilize our resources to process applications.