How to Fill Out USCIS Form I-602 (w/Examples) + FAQs

Form I-602 is the Application by Refugee for Waiver of Inadmissibility Grounds that lets refugees and asylees ask the U.S. government to forgive certain bars to entry or to a green card. You file it when a ground of inadmissibility under INA §212(a) would otherwise block your admission as a refugee or your adjustment of status to lawful permanent resident.

The waiver decision is discretionary, and it must be based on humanitarian reasons, family unity, or the public interest, as Congress wrote in INA §207(c)(3). According to the DHS Office of Homeland Security Statistics, the United States admitted more than 100,000 refugees in fiscal year 2024, and a meaningful share required an I-602 waiver to overcome medical, criminal, or immigration-related inadmissibility.

Here is what this guide will give you:

• 📝 Line-by-line walkthrough of every part of the current Form I-602 edition
• ⚖️ Plain-English explanation of every common ground of inadmissibility you can waive
• 👨‍👩‍👧 Three real scenarios that show how humanitarian, family unity, and public interest waivers actually work
• 🚫 Mistakes that get refugees denied, delayed, or referred for a second interview
• ❓ Ten of the most-asked questions, answered in 35 words or less

What Form I-602 Is and Why It Exists

Form I-602 is a special waiver form designed only for refugees and certain asylees. It is the gateway that lets a person who has already been found to have a well-founded fear of persecution still come to the United States, or still get a green card, even when a separate part of the law says they should be barred. The form is short, but the legal stakes behind it are enormous, because a denied waiver can mean separation from family, loss of safety, or removal from the United States.

The waiver authority comes from Section 207(c)(3) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, which Congress wrote into law to recognize that refugees often carry baggage from the very countries that persecuted them. A refugee may have a record because a hostile regime arrested them, or a health problem because they lacked medical care, or a paperwork problem because they fled without documents. Congress decided that USCIS officers should have the power to forgive most of these issues if doing so serves humanitarian goals, keeps families together, or benefits the public.

The consequence of not filing Form I-602 when you need one is severe. If a refugee is found inadmissible and no waiver is filed, the officer must deny refugee status overseas or deny the Form I-485 adjustment inside the United States. A common misconception is that the officer will quietly forgive a small problem without paperwork. That is not how it works, because the USCIS Policy Manual Volume 9, Part C requires a written, signed waiver request before relief can be granted. A refugee named Amina from Somalia learned this the hard way when her medical exam flagged latent tuberculosis; without an I-602 in her file, her case was held for months until her resettlement agency stepped in.

Who Qualifies to File Form I-602

Only certain people can use this form, and that limit matters. The form is for applicants for refugee status under INA §207, refugees adjusting status under INA §209(a), and asylees adjusting status under INA §209(c). It is not for ordinary immigrant visa applicants, who must instead use Form I-601.

The consequence of using the wrong form is a rejection at intake or a denial on the merits. A refugee who files Form I-601 by mistake will see the case stall, because the standards and the fee structures are different. A real-world example is Daniel, an Eritrean refugee adjusting status in Houston, who almost filed I-601 because a friend told him to; his attorney caught the error and filed I-602 instead, which carries no fee. The common misconception is that I-601 and I-602 are interchangeable, but they apply different legal tests and they are not.

The Difference Between I-601, I-601A, and I-602

Many readers mix these forms up, and the wrong choice can sink a case. Use this side-by-side table to keep them straight.

Feature	Form I-602	Form I-601	Form I-601A
Who files	Refugees and asylees, per I-602 instructions	Most other immigrants	Certain immediate relatives in the U.S.
Legal standard	Humanitarian, family unity, or public interest	Extreme hardship to qualifying relative	Extreme hardship to U.S. citizen or LPR spouse or parent
Filing fee	$0, per the USCIS fee schedule	$1,050	$795
Grounds covered	Most §212(a) grounds except a short list	Many §212(a) grounds	Only unlawful presence under §212(a)(9)(B)
Where filed	USCIS overseas or domestic office	USCIS lockbox or consulate	USCIS lockbox before consular interview

Grounds of Inadmissibility You Can Waive on Form I-602

The list of waivable grounds is broad, and it is broader than what Form I-601 covers. Almost every ground in INA §212(a) can be waived for a refugee, with a few important exceptions. The exceptions are the ones Congress decided are too dangerous to forgive, even for a person fleeing persecution.

Health-Related Grounds

Health-related grounds under INA §212(a)(1) cover communicable diseases of public health significance, missing vaccinations, physical or mental disorders with harmful behavior, and drug abuse or addiction. The plain-English version is that a medical exam by a civil surgeon or panel physician can flag a problem that triggers inadmissibility. The consequence of not waiving the issue is denial of admission or adjustment.

A real-world example is Lin, a Burmese refugee with active tuberculosis who completed treatment in a refugee camp; her panel physician issued a Class A medical certification, and her resettlement agency filed Form I-602 with proof of treatment compliance. The common misconception is that any positive TB test bars entry; in reality, latent TB is treatable and routinely waived. A second example is Marcus, a Congolese refugee who had not received certain vaccines because they were unavailable in his region; his I-602 included a civil surgeon waiver request based on religious or medical reasons, and USCIS approved it.

Criminal Grounds

Criminal grounds under INA §212(a)(2) cover crimes involving moral turpitude, controlled substance violations, multiple convictions, and prostitution. The plain-English meaning is that a foreign or U.S. conviction in your past can block your refugee status or your green card. The consequence of ignoring a conviction is not just denial; it can also lead to fraud findings if you fail to disclose it.

A common misconception is that arrests in your home country do not count. They do, and they must be disclosed. The mandatory expansion here is critical: certain crimes, such as drug trafficking under INA §212(a)(2)(C), are not waivable on Form I-602, while a single drug possession of 30 grams or less of marijuana usually is. A real-world example is Pavel, a Ukrainian refugee with a 20-year-old assault conviction from a politically motivated arrest; his I-602 included court records, a personal statement, and country-condition evidence, and USCIS granted the waiver on humanitarian grounds.

Immigration Violations and Misrepresentation

Past immigration violations, including unlawful presence under INA §212(a)(9)(B) and misrepresentation under INA §212(a)(6)(C), are common waiver triggers. The plain-English explanation is that if you ever lied to a U.S. officer or overstayed a visa, you may be inadmissible. The consequence of leaving these issues unaddressed is automatic denial.

The common misconception is that refugee status erases past misrepresentation. It does not, and you must affirmatively waive it. A real-world example is Fatima, a Syrian asylee who used a false passport to escape; she disclosed the misrepresentation on her I-589, and her I-602 was granted because the lie was made to flee persecution, which fits the humanitarian standard.

Public Charge and Labor Certification

The public charge ground under INA §212(a)(4) does not apply to refugees applying for admission or adjustment, per 8 CFR §207.2. The labor certification ground under INA §212(a)(5) likewise does not apply to refugees. The consequence is that you usually do not need an I-602 for these grounds at all, which is a relief many applicants do not know about.

Membership in Totalitarian Parties

Membership in a communist or other totalitarian party is a ground under INA §212(a)(3)(D). The plain-English version is that if you joined the ruling party in your home country, even involuntarily, you may be inadmissible. The consequence is that USCIS can deny refugee status without a waiver, even when the applicant joined only to keep a job or attend school.

A real-world example is Chen, a Chinese asylee who joined the Chinese Communist Party at age 18 to work as a teacher; his I-602 explained the involuntary nature of his membership, and USCIS granted the waiver. The common misconception is that any party membership is fatal; in fact, 9 FAM 302.5 and USCIS practice recognize involuntary, non-meaningful, and past-terminated membership exceptions.

Grounds That Cannot Be Waived

Some grounds are off-limits even on Form I-602. These include participation in Nazi persecution, genocide, torture, or extrajudicial killing under INA §212(a)(3)(E), and most terrorism-related grounds under INA §212(a)(3)(B). The consequence of falling under one of these is mandatory denial. The common misconception is that the Secretary of Homeland Security cannot grant any terrorism-related exemption; in reality, discretionary terrorism-related exemptions exist for narrow situations such as duress.

Step-by-Step: Filling Out Form I-602

The current edition of Form I-602 is short, but every box matters. Use the latest edition listed on the USCIS forms page, because USCIS rejects outdated editions after a grace period. The form has four parts plus a signature block, and you should complete it in black ink or type it.

Part 1: Information About You

Part 1 collects your full legal name, other names used, date of birth, country of birth, country of citizenship, A-number, and current address. The plain-English instruction is to match your I-590 or I-485 exactly. The consequence of a mismatch is a Request for Evidence or, worse, a fraud referral.

A real-world example is Yusuf, an Afghan refugee whose I-602 listed his name as written on his Afghan passport, but his I-590 used the transliteration his resettlement agency preferred; the mismatch triggered a six-week delay. The common misconception is that small spelling differences do not matter. They do, because USCIS systems match cases by exact name and A-number combinations.

Part 2: Grounds of Inadmissibility

Part 2 asks you to identify the specific ground or grounds you are asking USCIS to waive. List each ground by INA section and a short description, such as “INA §212(a)(1)(A)(i) – Class A TB” or “INA §212(a)(2)(A)(i)(I) – CIMT, theft 2010.” The consequence of leaving a ground off is that USCIS will not waive it, and the case will be denied on that ground.

A real-world example is Esther, a refugee with two issues — latent TB and a misrepresentation finding — whose attorney listed only the TB ground; the misrepresentation went unwaived, and USCIS denied adjustment until a new I-602 was filed. The common misconception is that one waiver covers all problems automatically. It does not, because each ground requires a separate analysis under the USCIS Policy Manual.

Part 3: Reasons for Requesting the Waiver

Part 3 is the heart of the form. You must explain why a waiver is justified for humanitarian reasons, to assure family unity, or because it is in the public interest. Write a separate paragraph for each reason that applies, and attach a longer personal statement if needed. The consequence of a vague explanation is denial, because the officer must make an affirmative finding on the record.

A real-world example is Daniela, a Venezuelan asylee waiving a misrepresentation; her statement explained that she lied to a U.S. consular officer because Venezuelan agents had threatened her family, which fit squarely within the humanitarian category. The common misconception is that you should keep the explanation short to avoid contradictions. The opposite is true: detailed, document-supported explanations win cases, as the USCIS adjudicator’s field manual guidance makes clear.

Part 4: Signature and Certification

Part 4 requires your signature, the date, and your daytime phone. If a preparer or interpreter helped, they must also sign. The consequence of an unsigned form is automatic rejection at intake, which costs weeks.

A real-world example is Joseph, a refugee in Nairobi whose I-602 was returned because his interpreter forgot to sign the interpreter certification block; his interview was rescheduled, and his case slipped two months. The common misconception is that an electronic signature is fine. For paper filings, USCIS requires a wet ink signature on the original.

Three Real-World Scenarios

Below are the three scenarios USCIS officers see most often. Each table shows the trigger and the likely outcome, based on USCIS Policy Manual Volume 9 guidance.

Scenario 1: Medical Inadmissibility (Humanitarian)

Trigger	Outcome
Refugee with Class A latent TB completing treatment	Waiver granted on humanitarian grounds with proof of compliance
Missing MMR vaccine due to camp conditions	Waiver granted with civil surgeon attestation
Active untreated syphilis at time of medical exam	Waiver deferred until treatment completed and re-examined

Scenario 2: Criminal Record from Country of Persecution (Family Unity)

Trigger	Outcome
Single CIMT conviction tied to political activity	Waiver typically granted with country-condition evidence
Two or more unrelated CIMTs	Waiver possible, but heavier discretionary showing required
Drug trafficking conviction	Not waivable on I-602 under INA §212(a)(2)(C)

Scenario 3: Past Misrepresentation (Public Interest)

Trigger	Outcome
False passport used to flee persecution	Waiver routinely granted on humanitarian grounds
Lie on prior tourist visa application unrelated to flight	Waiver possible with strong rehabilitation evidence
Fraud in current refugee application	Not waivable; fraud finding bars relief

How to File Form I-602 (Where, When, and How)

Where you file depends on where you are. If you are a refugee applicant overseas, you give Form I-602 to the USCIS Refugee Affairs Division officer at your circuit ride interview, usually the same day the inadmissibility issue is identified. If you are inside the United States adjusting status, you file Form I-602 together with your Form I-485 at the appropriate USCIS lockbox or service center, or you bring it to your adjustment interview if the issue surfaces there.

The plain-English version of timing is “as soon as the problem is known.” The consequence of waiting is that USCIS may deny the underlying application before you have a chance to file the waiver. A real-world example is Hana, an Iraqi refugee whose officer identified a misrepresentation during her interview in Amman; she handed in a handwritten Form I-602 the next morning, and the officer adjudicated both together. The common misconception is that you should wait for a Request for Evidence; in fact, filing proactively almost always speeds the case.

There is no filing fee for Form I-602, per the USCIS Form G-1055 fee schedule. You also do not need to submit a biometrics fee separately, because biometrics are captured under your underlying refugee or adjustment case. The consequence of mailing a check anyway is a delay while USCIS returns it.

Supporting Evidence to Include

Strong evidence wins waivers. At a minimum, include a personal statement, the medical or court records that triggered the ground, country-condition reports from the U.S. State Department human rights reports, and letters of support from family, employers, or clergy. The consequence of a thin record is denial, because the officer must weigh equities and cannot do so without facts.

A real-world example is Tomás, a Cuban asylee waiving a 1990s political conviction; his packet included court translations, a Human Rights Watch country report, a psychologist’s evaluation, and ten letters from his church. USCIS approved the waiver in under 90 days. The common misconception is that USCIS will pull records from other agencies; it will not, and the burden is on you.

Mistakes to Avoid

Refugees and their helpers repeat the same errors. Here are the most damaging ones.

• Filing the wrong form, such as I-601 instead of I-602, which leads to rejection or wasted fees because the I-601 instructions apply a different legal standard.
• Listing only one ground when two or more apply, which leaves grounds unwaived and forces a refile.
• Using an outdated edition of the form, which USCIS rejects under its form edition policy.
• Skipping the personal statement, which strips the officer of the human story needed for a discretionary grant.
• Forgetting to sign the interpreter or preparer block, which causes an intake rejection and a scheduling setback.
• Failing to disclose every prior arrest or conviction, even one resolved abroad, which can convert a waivable issue into a fraud finding under INA §212(a)(6)(C).
• Submitting untranslated foreign documents, which USCIS will not accept without a certified English translation.
• Confusing waivable and non-waivable grounds, especially in the terrorism and Nazi-persecution categories.
• Filing Form I-602 for a refugee child without listing the parent’s case number, which delays linkage.
• Treating the form as a one-page checkbox exercise rather than a discretionary advocacy document.

Do’s and Don’ts

Use this list to keep your filing on track.

Do’s

• Do match every name, date, and A-number to your I-590 or I-485, because mismatches trigger Requests for Evidence under the USCIS RFE policy.
• Do attach a detailed personal statement, because officers grant waivers based on the human story and the discretionary factors in the Policy Manual.
• Do include country-condition evidence, because it shows the context behind a foreign conviction or misrepresentation.
• Do file as early as possible, because waiting until after a denial means you must reopen, which is harder.
• Do keep a complete copy of the entire packet, because USCIS sometimes loses pages and you may need to refile quickly.

Don’ts

• Don’t omit grounds you think are minor, because the officer cannot waive what you do not request.
• Don’t sign in blue ink without checking, because some lockboxes only accept black; check the USCIS filing tips.
• Don’t pay a filing fee, because Form I-602 has none and a check will delay the file.
• Don’t use translation services that do not certify accuracy, because USCIS rejects uncertified translations.
• Don’t rely on oral statements at the interview alone, because the record on appeal is built from the written waiver.

Pros and Cons of Filing Form I-602

Even when the form is required, refugees should understand the trade-offs.

Pros

• No filing fee, which removes a financial barrier for resettling refugees.
• Broad coverage, because Form I-602 reaches more grounds than Form I-601.
• Generous legal standard, since humanitarian, family unity, or public interest is easier to meet than extreme hardship.
• Fast adjudication when filed at the overseas interview, often the same day under Refugee Affairs Division practice.
• Preserves family unity, which lets derivatives join principal refugees without separate inadmissibility battles.

Cons

• Discretionary, meaning a denial is hard to appeal because the Administrative Appeals Office reviews discretion narrowly.
• No automatic stay, so a denial overseas can end the resettlement track quickly.
• Documentation-heavy, since strong cases require translations, country reports, and expert letters.
• Limited scope, because some grounds, such as drug trafficking, are not waivable.
• Re-examination risk, because filing a waiver invites the officer to scrutinize the entire file.

Key People, Agencies, and Concepts

Several actors shape every I-602 case. Knowing who does what saves time and prevents missteps.

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) adjudicates the form, both overseas through its Refugee Affairs Division and inside the United States through field offices. The U.S. Department of State coordinates overseas resettlement and operates the Resettlement Support Centers, which prepare refugees for USCIS interviews. Resettlement agencies, such as the IRC and HIAS, often help draft I-602 packets. The Administrative Appeals Office (AAO) handles appeals of denied I-602s in adjustment cases.

Key concepts include “humanitarian grounds,” “family unity,” and “public interest,” each defined in Volume 9 of the USCIS Policy Manual. Another key concept is “discretion,” which means the officer can say no even when the legal box is checked. The consequence of misunderstanding discretion is over-confidence; the example is Olga, a Belarusian asylee whose attorney assumed approval was automatic and submitted a thin packet, leading to denial.

Court Rulings and Precedents to Know

A few rulings shape how officers think about I-602 cases. In Matter of H-N-, 22 I&N Dec. 1039 (BIA 1999), the Board of Immigration Appeals laid out factors for discretionary waivers in asylum-related contexts, and USCIS officers borrow that framework when weighing equities. In Negusie v. Holder, 555 U.S. 511 (2009), the Supreme Court narrowed the persecutor bar’s reach, which indirectly affects who needs an I-602 in the first place. In Matter of Jean, 23 I&N Dec. 373 (A.G. 2002), the Attorney General set a high bar for violent-crime waivers, a standard that bleeds into I-602 discretionary analysis.

The plain-English takeaway is that case law shapes officer expectations even when the statute looks generous. The consequence of ignoring case law is a packet that fails to address the factors officers actually weigh. The common misconception is that I-602 is purely administrative; in reality, the discretionary analysis borrows from decades of immigration jurisprudence.

State-Level Nuances

Federal law controls Form I-602, but state law affects the underlying records you must address. Criminal records are generated under state law, and the way a state defines theft, assault, or drug possession can change whether the offense is a “crime involving moral turpitude” under federal immigration law. The consequence is that two refugees with seemingly identical convictions can face different waiver outcomes based on the state statute of conviction.

For example, California Penal Code §484 theft has been analyzed in federal immigration decisions as a CIMT in some configurations, while a similar Texas theft statute may not be. New York’s marijuana decriminalization under the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act does not erase a prior federal immigration consequence, because the federal Controlled Substances Act still controls. The common misconception is that a state expungement cures the immigration problem; it usually does not, and the I-602 must still address the original conviction.

A real-world example is Andre, a refugee with a Florida possession conviction that Florida later sealed; his I-602 still had to disclose and waive the underlying offense, because federal immigration law looks at the original adjudication. Another example is Priya, an Indian asylee whose Washington State assault was reduced to a non-CIMT under state reform; her I-602 was still required because USCIS analyzes the record of conviction at the time of the offense.

After You File: What Happens Next

Once you file, the case moves on different tracks depending on where it sits. Overseas refugee cases usually see same-day or same-week adjudication, because the officer has the file in hand. Inside the United States, the I-602 typically moves with the I-485, and adjudication can take several months, depending on field office backlog.

You can check status on the USCIS Case Status Online tool using your receipt number. The consequence of not tracking your case is that you may miss a Request for Evidence deadline, which leads to denial by abandonment. A real-world example is Mehdi, an Iranian asylee who moved without filing Form AR-11; his RFE went to the old address, the deadline lapsed, and his I-602 was denied.

If USCIS denies Form I-602 in the adjustment context, you can usually appeal to the AAO using Form I-290B. If USCIS denies it overseas during refugee processing, the path is generally a Request for Review with the same office, because there is no AAO appeal for overseas refugee denials per 8 CFR §207.4. The common misconception is that every denial can be appealed to a federal court; in reality, judicial review of discretionary refugee waivers is sharply limited.

FAQs

Is there a filing fee for Form I-602?

No. Form I-602 has no filing fee and no biometrics fee, per the USCIS fee schedule, because Congress and USCIS treat refugee waivers as fee-exempt humanitarian filings.

Can I file Form I-602 by myself without a lawyer?

Yes. You can file it yourself, but a lawyer or an accredited representative from a BIA-recognized organization usually improves outcomes because the analysis is discretionary.

Can Form I-602 waive a drug trafficking conviction?

No. Drug trafficking under INA §212(a)(2)(C) is not waivable on Form I-602, and a conviction or reason-to-believe finding for trafficking permanently bars refugee admission and adjustment.

Do I need Form I-602 if my issue is public charge?

No. Refugees and asylees are exempt from the public charge ground at admission and adjustment under 8 CFR §207.2 and §209.1, so no waiver is needed.

Can I file Form I-602 for a child derivative refugee?

Yes. A parent or legal guardian can file Form I-602 on behalf of a child derivative when an inadmissibility ground applies to the child, with the parent signing in the appropriate block.

Will USCIS interview me again because of Form I-602?

Yes. USCIS may schedule a follow-up interview or expand the existing interview to address the waiver request, especially when criminal or misrepresentation grounds are involved.

Can I waive a past asylum-application misrepresentation?

No. Misrepresentation made in the current refugee or asylum application itself is generally not waivable, because fraud findings on the underlying claim bar relief.

Does an approved Form I-602 last forever?

Yes. Once approved for refugee admission or adjustment, the waiver covers the inadmissibility ground for those purposes, though new grounds arising later require new waiver requests.

Can I file Form I-602 and Form I-485 at the same time?

Yes. You can and should file them together when an inadmissibility ground is known at the time of adjustment, because concurrent filing avoids delay and streamlines adjudication.

Can I appeal a denied Form I-602?

Yes. In adjustment-of-status cases, you can appeal to the Administrative Appeals Office using Form I-290B within 30 days, though overseas refugee denials follow a different review path.