Form I-881 (Application for Suspension of Deportation or Special Rule Cancellation of Removal)

Official PDF downloads

• Form I-881, Application for Suspension of Deportation or Special Rule Cancellation of Removal, USCIS (PDF)
• Instructions for Form I-881, USCIS (PDF)
• Application for Suspension of Deportation or Special Rule Cancellation of Removal, Executive Office for Immigration Review (PDF)

What this is

The primary application form for NACARA Section 203 relief filed with USCIS when the applicant is not in removal proceedings. Includes supporting evidence of cohort eligibility, continuous physical presence, good moral character, and hardship where required.

Usually stable: The document itself is durable, but filing format still needs a stage check.

Who usually needs it

Applicants or petitioners in USCIS-centered workflows whose case depends on a specific filing artifact or approval record.

When it usually appears

Usually at filing, after approval, or when showing what stage the USCIS case has reached.

What changes by process, path, or post

Some USCIS forms are the filing itself, while others are notices or overlays that only matter in narrower case structures.

Common format or evidence traps

• Treating a USCIS form as interchangeable with a consular form that serves a different process.
• Assuming an approval notice answers later visa-availability or admissibility questions by itself.

Related pages

• Petition stage guideUnderstand what petitions decide and what they do not.
• Adjustment of status guideSee the USCIS route inside the United States.
• Conditional residence guideSee I-751 and I-829 lifecycle stages.

Related glossary terms

Petition · Approval notice · Application

Examples from current exact-support flows

Coverage posture: Current public exact-support flows include multiple direct examples for this document, but exact requirements still depend on the route, process stage, and official instructions.

• Usually needed

  For the affirmative USCIS NACARA Section 203 track, prepare Form I-881 and cohort, continuous-presence, and good-moral-character evidence; do not use this route for an EOIR defensive case without counsel review.

  Shown when: green_card_path: humanitarian · processing_context: uscis-filing · humanitarian.subcategory: nacara-203

• Usually needed

  File Form I-881 (Application for Suspension of Deportation or Special Rule Cancellation of Removal) when applying through USCIS (not in removal proceedings). The I-881 must include all supporting documentation specified in the I-881 instructions for your NACARA cohort, including cohort eligibility evidence, continuous physical presence records, good moral character documentation, and hardship evidence where applicable. (Sources: uscis_i881_page, uscis_i881_instructions, uscis_nacara_eligibility)

  Shown when: scope.green_card_path: humanitarian · scope.processing_context: adjustment-of-status · humanitarian.subcategory: nacara-203

• Usually needed

  File Form I-881 (Application for Suspension of Deportation or Special Rule Cancellation of Removal) with USCIS. This rule covers the affirmative USCIS-track filing for applicants who are not in removal proceedings. Complete all parts of the I-881 and attach all supporting documentation listed in the I-881 instructions for your NACARA Section 203 cohort. The USCIS NACARA eligibility page and the I-881 instructions specify the evidence categories required for your cohort and sub-route. (Sources: uscis_i881_page, uscis_i881_instructions, uscis_nacara_eligibility)

  Shown when: scope.green_card_path: humanitarian · scope.processing_context: uscis-filing · humanitarian.subcategory: nacara-203