Waiving foreign residence rules? Just more forms
Published Date: 9/14/2026
Notice
Summary
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) invites the general public and other Federal agencies to comment upon this proposed extension. In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, the information collection notice is published in the Federal Register to obtain comments regarding the nature of the information collection, the categories of respondents, the estimated burden (i.e., the time, effort, and resources used by the respondents to respond), the estimated cost to the respondent, and the actual information collection instruments.
Analyzed Economic Effects
3 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 2 costs, 0 mixed.
I-612 Waiver Application Continues
USCIS is extending, without change, the information collection for Form I-612, the Application for Waiver of the foreign residence requirement under section 212(e). An alien subject to section 212(e) may submit this form if complying would cause exceptional hardship to their U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident spouse or child, or if returning would subject the alien to persecution on account of race, religion, or political opinion.
Estimated Annual Cost Burden to Respondents
USCIS estimates the total annual cost burden associated with the I-612 information collection is $882,000. This is the aggregate estimated cost to respondents for the collection in a single year.
Estimated Time Burden Per Response
USCIS estimates the average time to complete Form I-612 is 0.15 hours (9 minutes) per response, with a total annual hour burden of 1,080 hours across respondents. The agency estimates 7,200 respondents for this collection.
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Key Dates
Department and Agencies
Related Federal Register Documents
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