#1485

I fully understand the "arbitrary" part of this equation but I was curious as to the experience of the "experts" on here. I often see on here that 3 years post-offense is an "iffy" proposition for filing a waiver as the odds are not necessarily in your favor and then I see the standard "wait until 5 years" and how that constitutes better odds. I get that. Truly I do.

Really I was curious as to what about year 4... have any you had experience filing waivers in the 4th year and what results have you generally been seeing?

Once again I know these are all "arbitrary" measures so it's not necessarily a foolish question (even if it appears that way on the face of it).

If I could have filed a waiver yesterday and felt confident of my odds I would have done so yesterday. Obviously I'm itching to getting access to America soon again.

Perhaps the crux of my original post at #1482 is that if I'm halfway through year 4 (post offense)and file a waiver by the time the waiver potentially arrives it will be 5 years post-offense. Yes I know it's "arbitrarily" only 6 months but for some time is of the essence.

And yes I know there's no EXACT science to this I'm only inquiring as to what your experience is. Is there really a huge chasm in odds between filing in the 4th year as opposed to the 5th year as per your experience?

Once again what seems like a year's time may not seem all that great but If one wishes to visit a family member in America who happens to be 96 years of age then it's easy to digest how a "year's time" can be of great essence.

@Samuel

The length of time since you "did something wrong" goes a long way to proving "I have changed". Does 4.5 years = almost 5 years? Its a bit arbitrary.

Again I want the most factors to be in your favor. So maybe 4.5 vs 5 won't matter. Maybe sometimes you can do 3 years.

I think we all agree that its not an exact science, so wait as long as you CAN. Also you might have a better chance at a 5 year waiver if you wait longer, so it might be worth waiting even if you think 4.5 years is enough.

@KenScott

Right. I posted this:

“(Client) Received waiver yesterday, dated November 13 2018, valid for 5 years.
39 days. I have no idea why it was so fast, and its the only one I have seen that quick in 2018. We obviously said that they have a cruise, but thought Homeland Security would not care.

Clients are ecstatic, and obviously I am thrilled as well. As a caution, I don't want to pretend I can get everyone a waiver that quickly. Just something unique I wanted to share.”

So then mysteriously a day later Talontd posts that he got HIS waiver just a touch faster. Then he posted again to make sure he used a term Ken Scott would probably think "sounds" Canadian like "straight shooter".

It's comical how you forget that we all know you haven't been in Canada for a couple of months....so you couldn't have actually prepared this guys waiver. Such a sad pathetic attempt to "one-up" me.

I was very careful to point out that "As a caution, I don't want to pretend I can get everyone a waiver that quickly." When Talontd posted, I wanted point out the obvious absurdity of his post, but I had already had a couple of texts from people pointing it out, so I let it go.

What I cannot let go, is that you think ICE is some kind of secret paramilitary group that is going to fly in a black helicoptor and extradite me because I pointed out in a forum that Homeland Security cannot see your record if you get a Pardon.

No one is going to give money to a guy who no longer resides in Canada. That's not my fault. You want to be "investor visa guy from the UK?" More power to you. But don't pretend your paying any attention to clients here if your not even in the country.

I didn't want to mention this before, but since I am going to end up in Gitmo any day now with a bag over my head, I am wondering....were you deported? Put my mind at ease....can you show us some proof of Canadian Citizenship? You have a VERY strong english accent. I am only asking because if people are going to TRUST you, they should be 100% sure you are indeed coming back.

Do not be ashamed if you need a "Rehabilitation" by the way. I can help you with the paperwork. I have done a few. Or HatsBootsHatsBoots could research it and help you.

@Michelle Nice to see you back. No change on the Pardon front re: policy changes but I am watching closely. You will be my first call if I see anything.

#1481, Thanks Ken, I wish I had been gone on holiday, but only away due to this terrible virus sinus infection..I have missed good amount of time at the office, and am trying to catch up now...but, I am ready to tackle the world..LOL..

#1478 and #1481 - Does this 5 year guideline, in your estimation, apply for ALL offenses (overstays, etc...)?

Furthermore let's say one is 4 1/2 years post offense should one wait until the 5 year mark BEFORE applying or does applying at the 4 1/2 year mark make sense since by the time one may conceivably receive the waiver it will possibly be 5 years in since it make take 6 months to adjudicate?

#1477 Yes it is true that people should shy away from applying for a waiver before the 5 year mark at a very bare minimum. This does not even take into account providing the proper rehabilitation in the packet.

Welcome back my dear Michelle as your absence was dearly missed, and your highly sought after words of wisdom will now be gratefully accepted. We are happy that you have returned from your arduous journey.

Hi all, I have not been on here for a long time..So an update from the world of Saskatchewan...I have not seen any issues in waivers due to "legalization of marijuana", this includes clients who are current medical marijuana users, business owners who have invested in the industry, or any other things. Curious to hear what happening in your area? Also, I have nothing new in waiver timelines here, processing time is 3 to 5 months from when my clients deliver their paperwork to USA Port of Entry. The only thing new, is the trace time to send an email has gone up to 150 days now. I have sent a few traces under this timeline and no replies. That is it..nothing new to talk about.. But thought I would let everyone know I am still here..LOL..

Hey everyone just ignore John ROGERS. Had a nice conversation with a guy from the forum yesterday and got some more input about what people are looking for in the forum. He gave me good news in regards to his case and getting his waiver approved quickly. I told him 3-6 months and I believe he said that he got it in 30 days.

John is not worth the time and effort since he has other things going on obviously in his personal life.
Do not engage him in debates since he is fond of splitting hairs and excels in this area.

So with that said...Just let the system deal with him and I ask people here to ignore him and just continue to ask your waiver questions. John has already been reported to ICE and the RCMP reporting will be next. If he loses his authorisation to do prints then it is his own fault.

Again, please continue to just post your questions since he is a non-relevant individual.

@jazzsax1 I don't have any new information. I discourage applying before 5 years are up so its only people who have no choice, and they aren't so common recently. The Airport has been closed since July 16th and that has meant I have less people who have done the waiver on their own to draw information from. In many cases, they were the ones who would apply within the 3 year mark.

Maybe they are too busy worrying about tear gassing people at the border that they are just rubber stamping everything.

John / Ken - any more attempts recently to file for people in the 3 -5 year post conviction range with any success? lol

Just wanted to thank Ken for his time and help with my situation. He's been a pleasure to deal with and he's a real straight shooter. Many thanks to you Ken!!

Just got my waiver in 36 days! Filed September 29th at YYC ... renewal dated November 5th. So so excited.

Processing times:

Clients came in in September and have a cruise in late January. The client does not have a criminal record but was guilty of getting fake documents and being smuggled into the United States in the back of a truck. Overstayed as well. Over 10 years old. Never had a waiver before.

Fingerprints were fast and came in on October 3. Prepared package and client picked up and handed it in on October 4. Went to Niagara Falls.

Received waiver yesterday, dated November 13 2018, valid for 5 years.

39 days. I have no idea why it was so fast, and its the only one I have seen that quick in 2018. We obviously said that they have a cruise, but thought Homeland Security would not care.

Clients are ecstatic, and obviously I am thrilled as well. As a caution, I don't want to pretend I can get everyone a waiver that quickly. Just something unique I wanted to share.

@HatsBootsHatsBootsHats

You are not a threat to my business, since no one can contact you. The majority of people come here doing their own waivers. My advice is directed at making sure they have accurate information.

You are a hindrance to accuracy. You know slightly more than the average poster in here, but you make arguments based on too small a sample to have practical experience behind it. To fill in those gaps you google.

And that is ok. Its a great topic to discuss why I might be advising someone to do something, but I read on the web that.....nothing wrong with debating that topic. Debate is good, more information and more voices is good.

To sum up my post, I am happy you post here, please keep posting. Note the complete lack of personal attacks. I hope I have clarified where we differ.

Republicans are not possibly "good or bad". Republicans have become a party that craves power for the sake of power. Trump is a CLEAR indication of that. There is nothing Trump could do that would make Republicans NOT support him, simply because they would prefer power over being right.

That's a fact.

Its funny how this individual goes from personal attacks to showing empathy. The individual known as John Rogers clearly displays classic signs of greed. He is an emotional rollercoaster. Its my way or the highway.

His rhetoric is becoming old and redundant. What the individual fails to realise is that most of us are here to help but he will try to impose his way of thinking on others. He is driven by his personal gain claiming he is an expert but testimonials fall short.

If I do have a mentor, it would have to be John Rogers because he is the driving force to keep me going. I love exposing frauds.

I think John Rogers is showing his true colors. Many have left the forum as they no longer wish to partake in the endless conversations of personal attacks.

Wether I am white or black should not matter. Wealth has nothing to do with the color of the skin. It's quite disappointing that this individual is falling to such levels to get customers. I just love coming back here laughing at everything that he posts. It's funny because he is probably what he criticizes the most, a white male sitting behind a computer screen and just trolling all day.

Everything was handed to him with a golden plate at birth. He does waivers for a living because it pays. Times are tough unfortunately for old Johnny boy. Not enough business and procastanates too much on the World Wide Web. However, I ain't got no time for disses. I just feel sorry for the individual.

I repeat, I am not looking for customers. I choose to remain anonymous for that reason. Unfortunately some people view this as a personal attack to their business. Also, his views about Republicans are opinions and not facts.

@HatsBootsHatsBoots

Many of us already campaign to make changes. For 2 years we operated a website and ran a campaign called "Bring Back Fairness". We ran a huge petition and asked the Government to change the laws and the pardon rules that were unfairly changed in 2012.

I actively campaigned AGAINST the Conservatives in every election, and of course I try to convince American all the time that the Republicans are the American Taliban. Follow me on Facebook and you will see that when I am not posting here, I am posting about making positive changes.

@Samuel is asking a smart question. The most prudent approach is reveal only what you have to reveal. "Honesty is the best policy" is a convenience for people like HatsBootsHatsBoots who is obviously a white male who has never been arrested in his entire life and probably grew up in nice circumstances. You can see it in his derision for everyone else. And in his case, its easy to lecture and say "always be honest". This is where his lack of practical experience and dealing with clients who have grown up in difficult circumstances shows.

When you are a minority, and feel like the cards are stacked against you, and feel like the game you are playing is not "fair", why are you playing by rules set by the very people who would use your honesty against you? I see the inequities in sentencing everyday. I see the difference between a black man and a white man in sentencing. I see how people with no money are brutalized by the justice system.

When the system is just, honestly is always best. When you are dealing with an unjust system, and rules that are not always fair, its smarter to do what is best for YOU.

@Samuel

I know where you are coming from. However this is the best policy to follow when dealing with authorities of any country. Honesty is the best policy. You have to use your judgement when answering to their questions. They have a job to do and are monitored by someone else on top of them. Many of them have no judgement and unfortunately we can't do much about that.

Only you and the individuals who had their quality of life ruined by these laws can fight for change. Unfortunately, many marginal groups and Christian demonations still have a strong influence. We have come a long way however.

Many individuals behind these groups are using fear to criminalize immigration and don't believe in rehabilatation. With the recent wave of muslim extremist attacks that occurred since 2001, a lot of western politicians are finding opportunities to step on human rights, give more power to law enforcement and impose stiffer penalties on people who violate the law. This is a normal reaction.

The general populace is now fearing globalization and immigration. I was just reading today on how Ohio may potentially pass a law to execute women who have abortions including those with miscarriages. Then, we Westerners criticize other countries particularly of the Middle East who have similar practices.

Only you can change these laws. You live in a democracy, you have the right to vote and make your voice heard. It takes many people however to force a change and not let some marginal groups take over.

There are many Canadians who are banned for admitting to smoking weed while crossing the border. They are people with families and great jobs with not the slightest brush with authorities. You are not the only one. It takes a change of mentality of the general populace.

@KSCOTT

“Either way you are in trouble when CBP does ask the weed smoking question if you smoke weed.”

As per your words in #1466 - would you care to expound on this?

It seems either way one is screwed as you're explicitly stating. If they ask if "you've EVER smoked weed" then I'm confident a very high percentage of Canadians, at some point in their respective lives, have.

As per my comment at #1464 - I'm going to assert (quite confidently) that people of colour are going to be asked this question much more often that the "white" populace... and probably even MUCH MORE frequently with the current administration.

So if one were to answer the question "truthfully" they would then subsequently be denied entry, will have to spend hella dollars to get a waiver, lose the the time it takes to adjudicate that waiver and possibly have that waiver denied (possibly because the person adjudicating the waiver may themselves have "problems" with people of colour since these things are rather "discretionary")

So what's the MOST PRUDENT approach?

@KenScott

You claim to be an "expert" right? Training and seminars, and you have done consulting? Your website says you:

“F. Ken Scott is a Senior U.S. Immigration Analyst and former personnel manager/analyst for the United States Government. He is also a former reserve police academy assistant law enforcement trainer and instructor. He also worked as a supervisory federal Contractor for the United States Federal Protective Service in securing critical American infrastructure during 9-11. There he worked closely with the former U.S. Customs Service and former U.S. Immigration & Naturalization Service. He also worked with the U.S. Defence Department as a personnel manager. He also worked as a legal strategist and case analyst, training immigration lawyers and consultants on American immigration inadmissibility issues.”

But then how could you think ICE would arrest me?

“Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is a component of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), primarily responsible for enforcing federal immigration and customs laws. Its powers include investigating, apprehending, arresting, detaining, and removing aliens within the United States.”

I am in Canada.

Everytime you sit in front of the computer ask yourself this:

“Am I really sober to tangle with John Rogers? Or is he going to make me look stupid again?”

Then go sleep it off.