USCIS Conducts Press Conference on New Waiver Proposals

On January 6, USCIS held a press conference to discuss the major changes it proposed earlier this month to the I-601 waiver process.  See our breaking news from January 9 for more information on the proposal.  The transcript from the conference is available, and the information provided by USCIS Director Alejandro Mayorkas clarifies some questions raised by attendees.  Mr. Mayorkas specifically noted that the standard for extreme hardship would not change under the proposal.  USCIS is only proposing a change that would apply to immediate relatives of U.S. citizens.  Further, the new waiver procedure would only apply to those applicants whose only bar to admissibility is unlawful presence.  Those with lawful permanent resident relatives or with criminal histories would still have to use the current process, which requires applicants to apply for waivers in their home countries and often be separated from their families for at least six months, often much longer.