The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced yesterday, April 7, that it will waive mandatory interviews for some conditional permanent residents who have filed a petition to remove their conditional status.
In the interview, these types of residents who are married to US citizens must prove to the USCIS officer that their marriage is real and not for obtaining an immigration benefit.
According to the updated policy, USCIS may waive the interview requirement if an agency officer determines that there is sufficient evidence of the good faith of the marriage, no indication of fraud, misrepresentation in supporting documents, and no criminal record, among other considerations.
The new criteria will guide officials in determining when to exempt permanent residents who filed an I-751 petition to have conditions on their residency removed from interviews.
Meanwhile, USCIS Director Ur M. Jaddou, the first woman to hold the position, said in a statement that this update "is consistent with the agency's priorities to break down barriers in the immigration system and eliminate undue burdens for those seeking benefits.".
Currently, the wait time for I-751 applications is 22 to 36 months, and according to agency data, more than 166,000 applications were filed in 2017.
Several changes are taking place in Joe Biden's government, thereby relaxing the rule imposed by the government of then-President Donald Trump in 2018, which proclaimed that all those who obtained conditional permanent residence for being spouses of US citizens and who have filed an application to have their conditional status withdrawn must attend a personal interview with USCIS.
Information taken from: EFE News
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