Applying for a Nonimmigrant Waiver

QUESTION:  If I apply for a waiver through your office in Buffalo, do I have to send you all documents by mail?   How will I know if my application approved or denied?  Will the DHS inform me by e-mail or mail?  Or will they inform you? 

REPLY:  If you were to hire our firm to assist you with a nonimmigrant waiver application, our practice is to prepare a complete waiver package for you using copies of the relevant supporting documents.  When the package is complete we send it to you with instructions to substitute original documents for the copies, where to sign, etc.  We also provide you with detailed instructions regarding the process of submitting the application.  If you are a Canadian citizen, you will have to submit the application in-person at a U.S. port of entry or pre-flight inspection office.  If you are a national of another country, then you will submit the waiver application in connection with a visa application at a U.S. Consulate. 

In either case, we include a Form G-28 with the waiver application, which is a “Notice of Entry of Appearance as Attorney.”  When this form is submitted with a waiver application, it ensures that our office is provided with copies of all correspondence (request for additional evidence, approval notices, etc.) that is sent to you via mail.  The CBP Admissibility Review Office has not yet begun notifying individuals of waiver decisions by email, however, we usually provide our international clients with an emailed copy of the correspondence that almost always reaches our office first.