USCIS Policy Manual Guidance on Interview Waiver Criteria for Family-Based Conditional Permanent Residents (Form I-751)

Policy effect

Updates Policy Manual guidance to give USCIS officers broad discretion to waive the in-person interview requirement for Form I-751 (Petition to Remove Conditions on Residence) if the record contains sufficient evidence of a bona fide marriage and no indications of fraud, misrepresentation, or criminal bars, explicitly eliminating the previous mandatory interview policy for CPRs who obtained status through consular processing abroad.

Conditions and exceptions

Validated condition or limit: Updates Policy Manual guidance to give USCIS officers broad discretion to waive the in-person interview requirement for Form I-751 (Petition to Remove Conditions on Residence) if the record contains sufficient evidence of a bona fide marriage and no indications of fraud, misrepresentation, or criminal bars, explicitly eliminating the previous mandatory interview policy for CPRs who obtained status through consular processing abroad.

Official source excerpt

Quoted verbatim from the official source below. Ellipses indicate omitted text.

2 sufficient evidence, and there is no indication of fraud, misrepresentation, criminal bars, or other factors that may require an interview. • Updates interview waiver criteria to eliminate automatic referrals for cases where a CPR obtained status via consular processing and to refer CPR cases based on risk-based criteria. Summary of Changes Affected Section: Volume 6 > Part I, Family-Based Conditional Permanent Residents • Adds new Chapter 3 (Petition to Remove Conditions on Residence) with introductory text and guidance under new Section G (Interview); adds and reserves new Sections A, B, C, D, E, F, H, and I. • Adds new [Reserved] Chapters 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, and 7.

Review method

Two separate automated exact-claim source reviews

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• 2022-02-07Longer work-document validity for specified protection and parole categories
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• 2022-02-10Divorce does not end VAWA stepfamily eligibility
• 2022-03-11Mandatory Frivolous Asylum Adjudication Requirements (Matter of M-M-A-)
• 2022-03-15EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act of 2022 (Statutory Regional Center Program Reauthorization)
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• 2022-05-20DHS designates Afghanistan for Temporary Protected Status
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