FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Travelers Requiring a Waiver to Enter U.S. “Shocked” by 88% Increase in Filing Fee, Says Pardon CEO
e-SAFE Requirement Also Updated for Waiver Applications
OTTAWA, ON, June 5, 2024 — Pardon Applications of Canada Ltd. (“PAC”), a leading provider of Canadian Pardon (Record Suspension) and U.S. Waiver I-192 services, has announced crucial updates to the U.S. Waiver I-192 application process. These changes, mandated by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (“CBP”) and the Department of Homeland Security, include a significant filing fee increase by the U.S. that has caught many Canadian travelers off guard.
Effective April 1, 2024, the U.S. filing fee for Waiver applications increased from $585 USD to $1,100 USD – a whopping 88% hike. This fee still does not include other essential costs such as fingerprinting, court fees, legal document preparation, accountability statements, accurate processing, and taxes.
E-Safe Requirement
Other less daunting changes made by CBP include the requirement for Canadian applicants to use the “e-SAFE” submission portal once their application is ready to be reviewed. The new online system stands for “Electronic Secured Adjudication Forms Environment”, and on its own can be a complex process to navigate. Once submitted, it takes a review office in Virginia, PA around “2-6 months” to decide on the application.
The CBP evaluates applications based on various criteria, including the seriousness of the offense, risk to society, the applicant’s reasons for entering the U.S., as well as the recency of the offense, patterns of misconduct, and evidence of rehabilitation.
“What we’re hearing from clients is an understandable reaction of shock…”
Christopher Ketko, CEO of Pardon Applications of Canada
But it’s the extra cost in the U.S. filing fee which is causing the most reaction amongst Waiver applicants already in the process of applying.
Filing Fee Increase Creates Hardship
“What we’re hearing from clients is an understandable reaction of shock”, said Christopher Ketko, CEO of Pardon Applications of Canada. “No one is surprised anymore by price increases, but to almost double the filing fee seemingly out of nowhere is creating a hardship for many border travelers who need access to the United States for important reasons”, he added.
Ketko, who co-founded the services firm in 2011 as a response to his own poor experience with a competitor, noted that the most important element in the Waiver application process is the overall thoroughness and quality of the application itself. Each legal document in the U.S. Waiver process must be submitted precisely according to CBP standards and follow specific guidelines. Even one wrongly filed document or missed responsibility can result in enormous delays, additional cost, or worse.
“Applicants can be outright denied their application because they tried to save a few bucks attempting the Waiver process on their own”, he said.
For more information:
Pardon Applications of Canada
[email protected]
www.pardonapplications.ca
Tel: 866-383-9744
Fax: 866-596-4321
Pardon Applications of Canada (“PAC”, www.pardonapplications.ca) was the first Pardon & Waiver service to achieve an A+ Accredited rating via the Better Business Bureau (Ottawa), raising the integrity standard for the entire industry. Through 14 offices across Canada from Vancouver to Halifax, PAC has processed more than 1.25 million applications & inquiries since 2011. A unique offering from the company is a free, no-questions asked phone consultation with an Accredited representative who does not work on commission.
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