Working on Waiver

[onafetsc]

Hello Everyone. I'm new to the forum and this is my first post; I don't know if I'm doing this correctly. I am USC and my wife is Mexicana. Her interview appt was at CDJ on May 6, 2008. She was denied (interviewer took one look at her and accused her of crossing over to marry me for "papers" and did not look at any of her proof; photos, letters, etc) but was given option for I-601 waiver. ALthough I was in Mexico with her, I was not allowed to enter the consulate. The waiver appt is scheduled for July 23, 2008. I found this site while searching for information and advice. We had to wait until after she received initial denial and for it to be in the system before we could schedule the waiver appointment. Is this something new? We did not experience anything related to InfoPass. What happens at the waiver appointment. Is she interviewed or am I; or is it solely the strength of the waiver? Thank you for any information/advice you can provide. V/R, Onafetsc

[Laura]

Hi there,

I made you your own thread.

First of all, spouses are almost never allowed into the consulate, so that's totally normal. Surprising, yes, but also very normal. There just isn't enough room.

Actually, lots of people make the waiver appointment as soon as they get their visa interview. It's also common for the person on the phone to say that you have to wait until the interview or whatever but if you bug them or call multiple times they WILL let you schedule the waiver appt. In any case, July is two months away, and it's good you have the appointment and are preparing the waiver. I will add you to the interview thread.

At the waiver appointment, you will again, not be allowed in. She needs to take the waiver packet and the I-601 form and submit them. If she doesn't have a criminal record or any other reason to be immediately put into the backlog they are likely to take just about 20 minutes to review her packet. If they deem it "clearly approvable," she will be told to wait for her visa.

Hopefully you are preparing a lot of documentation and a very strong letter for your packet. So, no, there is no interview of either of you, everything depends on your packet (assuming again, she doesn't have criminal issues or a deporation, because usually in those cases they just immediately put the person into the backlog). If she isn't approved right away she will have to wait in Mexico until they adjudicate the waiver in the regular process, which takes 6-12 months.

Please keep reading all the sticky posts and working on your waiver.