I-191 Application for Relief Under Former Section 212(c) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA)
Asks for the old 212(c) waiver, repealed in 1996 but still available to long-time permanent residents whose convictions predate the repeal. It forgives certain grounds of inadmissibility and deportability for a resident with seven years of lawful unrelinquished domicile. It is a narrow, historical remedy that still resolves real cases.
- Fee
- $930
- Fee waiver
- Not available
- Who files
- Lawful permanent residents with qualifying pre-1996 convictions, usually with counsel.
- Where to file
- By mail to the USCIS service center named in the instructions; the immigration judge decides it if the person is in removal proceedings.
Part of these processes
What changed in 2025 and 2026
- Whether 212(c) is available turns on when the plea was entered and on Supreme Court and circuit case law, not on the form. This is not a do-it-yourself filing.
Official page. https://www.uscis.gov/i-191. Download the form there, never from a third-party site; check the edition date and fee before filing.