The U.S. Consulate in Ciudad Juarez (CDJ) began requiring applicants to be officially denied for an immigrant visa before they could make an appointment for a USCIS waiver submission a few months ago. Currently, the post is requiring a 48 hour wait after the immigrant visa interview and before an immigrant visa applicant is allowed to make a waiver appointment through the phone center. This allows the call center operator to confirm if there has been a consular denial and a determination of waiver eligibility. This process prevents those who are not eligible for a waiver from booking an appointment to a file waiver for which they are not eligible.
USCIS in Juarez also has fewer waiver appointments available due to staffing limits and the Officer in Charge is hoping for temporary staff to increase waiver appointments. Currently, it is taking about two months to get a waiver appointment after the consular interview appointment. Hopefully, this time will shorten significantly when temporary staff arrives. DHL packet transmission is monitored by the post after the consular immigrant visa interview. The post's goal is to mail the DHL packet the day following the interview. Some immigrant visa applicants are experiencing a 5 to 7 day lag time.
CDJ will also use an online form for the DS-230 possibly later this year
