I-601, Application for Waiver of Grounds of Inadmissibility

If you are inadmissible to the United States and are seeking an immigrant visa, adjustment of status, certain nonimmigrant statuses, or certain other immigration benefits, you must file this form to seek a waiver of certain grounds of inadmissibility. Please refer to the instructions to determine whether you should use this form.

You must submit all 11 pages.

Forms and Document Downloads

Form Details

04/01/24 . You can find the edition date at the bottom of the page on the form and instructions.

Dates are listed in mm/dd/yy format.

If you complete and print this form to mail it, make sure that the form edition date and page numbers are visible at the bottom of all pages and that all pages are from the same form edition. If any of the form’s pages are missing or are from a different form edition, we may reject your form.

If you need help downloading and printing forms, read our instructions.

The filing location depends on the immigration benefit you are seeking. To view a complete list of addresses, go to our Direct Filing Addresses page.

You can find the filing fee for Form I-601 by visiting our Fee Schedule page.

Through Sept. 30, 2024, there is no fee to file Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status, on the basis of classification as an Afghan special immigrant, or for any associated biometric services or to file an associated Form I-601.

Through Sept. 30, 2024, there is no fee to file Form I-601 individually with an approved Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative, filed with USCIS in the United States for an Afghan national (beneficiary) who has a visa immediately available.

You can pay the fee with a money order, personal check, cashier’s check or pay by credit card or debit card using Form G-1450, Authorization for Credit Card Transactions. If you pay by check, you must make your check payable to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

When you send a payment, you agree to pay for a government service. Filing fees are final and non-refundable, regardless of any action we take on your application, petition, or request, or if you withdraw your request. If you pay by credit card or debit card, you cannot later dispute the payment. Use our Fee Calculator to help determine your fee.

If you are submitting multiple forms, pay each filing fee separately. We are transitioning to electronically processing immigration benefit requests, which requires us to use multiple systems to process your package. We may reject your entire package if you submit a single, combined payment for multiple forms.

Please do not submit this checklist with your Form I-601. The checklist is an optional tool to use as you prepare your form, but does not replace statutory, regulatory, and form instruction requirements. We recommend that you review these requirements before completing and submitting your forms. Do not send original documents unless specifically requested in the form instructions or applicable regulations.

If you submit any documents (copies or original documents, if requested) in a foreign language, you must include a full English translation along with a certification from the translator verifying that the translation is complete and accurate, and that they are competent to translate from the foreign language into English.

Did you provide the following?

• Evidence that establishes why you may qualify for a waiver of inadmissibility, which depends on the ground(s) of inadmissibility that apply to you and should include evidence to show why we should grant you a waiver of inadmissibility as a matter of discretion.
• Evidence to support your claim of extreme hardship (if applicable).
  • If applying for a waiver that requires you to a showing of extreme hardship to a spouse, parent, son, or daughter of a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident, you must submit evidence establishing the family relationship and evidence that shows the denial of admission would result in extreme hardship to your qualifying relative.
  • If you are a VAWA self-petitioner seeking a waiver for immigration fraud or misrepresentation, you may show how the denial of admission would result in extreme hardship to your qualifying relatives or yourself.
  Form Filing Tips

  Filing Tips for Form I-601, Application for Waiver of Grounds of Inadmissibility

  Complete all sections of the form. We will reject the form if these fields are missing:

  • Part 1 – Information About You
    • Family Name
    • Mailing Address
    • Date of Birth

    Filing Tips: Review our Tips for Filing Forms by Mail page for information on how to ensure we will accept your form.

    Don’t forget to sign your form. We will reject any unsigned form.

    Special Instructions

    E-Notification: If you want to receive an e-mail and/or text message that we have accepted your form at a USCIS lockbox, complete Form G-1145, E-Notification of Application/Petition Acceptance and clip it to the first page of your form.

    Fee Waiver: We will accept a fee waiver request from:

    • A VAWA self-petitioner;
    • An applicant for a T visa;
    • A battered spouse or child of a lawful permanent resident or U.S. citizen;
    • An applicant for Temporary Protected Status;
    • A Special Immigrant Juvenile; or
    • Any other noncitizen for whom a determination of their likelihood of becoming a public charge under section 212(a)(4) is not required at the time of their application for admission or adjustment of status.

    Please see our Fee Waiver page for more information.

    Related Links
    • Centralized Filing and Adjudication for Form I-601, Application for Waiver of Grounds of Inadmissibility
    • Direct Filing Addresses for Form I-601, Application for Waiver of Grounds of Inadmissibility