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  • J-1 visa waiver as of 2014

    Hi All,
    I have been going through the J-1 visa related 2-year home residency requirement waiver process in the past 6 months. Now that it is finally over, I wanted to share my timeline with people because the immigration forums have been a great help for me in the process.
    First I have to note that I am from Turkey and have been working in US under J-1 status as a Research Scholar (post-doctoral). I was subject to the requirement due to my particular skill-set. I applied for the waiver on the No objection basis. Here is my timeline:
    November 5, 2013: I sent out my application to Department of State (DOS) and simultaneously to the Turkish Embassy in Washington for the No Objection Letter (NOL). My case became active on the DOS online system after about 3 weeks, indicating that they received all my application materials, except, of course, the NOL.
    February 1, 2014: The Turkish Embassy sent me an e-mail indicating that they forwarded the NOL to DOS.
    February 14, 2014: The status of my case on the online waiver system was updated saying that they received the NOL.
    February 24, 2014: DOS online system was updated that a “Funding source memo” was requested and an “Unknown” document was sent. I became a little paranoid at this stage. I never received any funding from the Turkish Government. However, my funds were coming from a grant that my advisor received from a US Government Agency. Turned out I was OK though since the grant was not granted to me personally to fund my exchange visitor program (I was not a principle investigator or anything.)
    March 5, 2014: DOS online system was updated to reflect that the “Unknown” document was received. Decision was still “Pending”.
    March 24, 2014: The decision on the DOS online system was updated to “Favorable Recommendation” and it was indicated that the “Recommendation” was sent.
    April 4, 2014: I received a I-797C, notice of action from U.S Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) indicating that my I-612 is now being processed as of March 31,2014. I did NOT, however, receive a copy of the Favorable Recommendation letter from DOS in the mail.
    April 8, 2014: I sent an e-mail to the [email protected] (only way to inquire DOS about your waiver processing) asking about the recommendation letter.
    April 28, 2014: I received a reply from [email protected] with the attached copy of the recommendation letter. Have not still received any copy in the mail. Also, no updates from USCIS at this point.

    May 7, 2014: The USCIS online system indicated that they approved my I-612 and mailed the notice of approval. Finally!!
    Entire process took about 6 months as one may anticipate. Obviously it depends on how fast your home country or sometimes your sponsor responds when they are inquired. Best of luck to anyone going through the same hassle.

  • #2
    Hi-
    This was extremely timely and helpful..I am just starting to the same process and was wondering how you applied for NOL..
    Did you have a form from embassy or was it an electronic submission?
    Thanks...

    Originally posted by Tapir View Post
    Hi All,
    I have been going through the J-1 visa related 2-year home residency requirement waiver process in the past 6 months. Now that it is finally over, I wanted to share my timeline with people because the immigration forums have been a great help for me in the process.
    First I have to note that I am from Turkey and have been working in US under J-1 status as a Research Scholar (post-doctoral). I was subject to the requirement due to my particular skill-set. I applied for the waiver on the No objection basis. Here is my timeline:
    November 5, 2013: I sent out my application to Department of State (DOS) and simultaneously to the Turkish Embassy in Washington for the No Objection Letter (NOL). My case became active on the DOS online system after about 3 weeks, indicating that they received all my application materials, except, of course, the NOL.
    February 1, 2014: The Turkish Embassy sent me an e-mail indicating that they forwarded the NOL to DOS.
    February 14, 2014: The status of my case on the online waiver system was updated saying that they received the NOL.
    February 24, 2014: DOS online system was updated that a “Funding source memo” was requested and an “Unknown” document was sent. I became a little paranoid at this stage. I never received any funding from the Turkish Government. However, my funds were coming from a grant that my advisor received from a US Government Agency. Turned out I was OK though since the grant was not granted to me personally to fund my exchange visitor program (I was not a principle investigator or anything.)
    March 5, 2014: DOS online system was updated to reflect that the “Unknown” document was received. Decision was still “Pending”.
    March 24, 2014: The decision on the DOS online system was updated to “Favorable Recommendation” and it was indicated that the “Recommendation” was sent.
    April 4, 2014: I received a I-797C, notice of action from U.S Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) indicating that my I-612 is now being processed as of March 31,2014. I did NOT, however, receive a copy of the Favorable Recommendation letter from DOS in the mail.
    April 8, 2014: I sent an e-mail to the [email protected] (only way to inquire DOS about your waiver processing) asking about the recommendation letter.
    April 28, 2014: I received a reply from [email protected] with the attached copy of the recommendation letter. Have not still received any copy in the mail. Also, no updates from USCIS at this point.

    May 7, 2014: The USCIS online system indicated that they approved my I-612 and mailed the notice of approval. Finally!!
    Entire process took about 6 months as one may anticipate. Obviously it depends on how fast your home country or sometimes your sponsor responds when they are inquired. Best of luck to anyone going through the same hassle.

    Comment


    • #3
      Originally posted by Tapir View Post
      Hi All,
      I have been going through the J-1 visa related 2-year home residency requirement waiver process in the past 6 months. Now that it is finally over, I wanted to share my timeline with people because the immigration forums have been a great help for me in the process.
      First I have to note that I am from Turkey and have been working in US under J-1 status as a Research Scholar (post-doctoral). I was subject to the requirement due to my particular skill-set. I applied for the waiver on the No objection basis. Here is my timeline:
      November 5, 2013: I sent out my application to Department of State (DOS) and simultaneously to the Turkish Embassy in Washington for the No Objection Letter (NOL). My case became active on the DOS online system after about 3 weeks, indicating that they received all my application materials, except, of course, the NOL.
      February 1, 2014: The Turkish Embassy sent me an e-mail indicating that they forwarded the NOL to DOS.
      February 14, 2014: The status of my case on the online waiver system was updated saying that they received the NOL.
      February 24, 2014: DOS online system was updated that a “Funding source memo” was requested and an “Unknown” document was sent. I became a little paranoid at this stage. I never received any funding from the Turkish Government. However, my funds were coming from a grant that my advisor received from a US Government Agency. Turned out I was OK though since the grant was not granted to me personally to fund my exchange visitor program (I was not a principle investigator or anything.)
      March 5, 2014: DOS online system was updated to reflect that the “Unknown” document was received. Decision was still “Pending”.
      March 24, 2014: The decision on the DOS online system was updated to “Favorable Recommendation” and it was indicated that the “Recommendation” was sent.
      April 4, 2014: I received a I-797C, notice of action from U.S Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) indicating that my I-612 is now being processed as of March 31,2014. I did NOT, however, receive a copy of the Favorable Recommendation letter from DOS in the mail.
      April 8, 2014: I sent an e-mail to the [email protected] (only way to inquire DOS about your waiver processing) asking about the recommendation letter.
      April 28, 2014: I received a reply from [email protected] with the attached copy of the recommendation letter. Have not still received any copy in the mail. Also, no updates from USCIS at this point.

      May 7, 2014: The USCIS online system indicated that they approved my I-612 and mailed the notice of approval. Finally!!
      Entire process took about 6 months as one may anticipate. Obviously it depends on how fast your home country or sometimes your sponsor responds when they are inquired. Best of luck to anyone going through the same hassle.

      That was very helpful, thanks.

      I have the same process: My No Objection Statement was received on 25 September 2013 and the funding memo source was sent and the unknown document was requested on the same day. But no word since then! I have no idea why this is taking so long. It is driving me crazy. I am wondering if you had any influence on the process of the "unknown" document? Did you talk to your home country's government institutions? I am looking for a way to speed up the process. I sent dozens of emails to the email address you mentioned but since I ask very specific questions, they are not replying anymore.

      Congratulations on your waiver and good luck to you all who are still waiting for an answer!

      Comment


      • #4
        when apply?

        Hi, would you please inform me when we can apply for the waiver? Should we wait for the end of our postdoc? Thanks.

        Comment


        • #5
          J1 waiver timeline as of September 2014

          Hi All,

          Just wanted to share my timeline with you mostly because it's a little unusual from the traditional route and if someone is stuck in situation like mine, they might benefit from it. In my second year of postdoc (of a three year total) I approached the school's international scholars office to check if I should file a J1 waiver then but they emphatically asked me not file a waiver till I get a job. Their reasoning was if I don't get a faculty job (which I was hoping to get at the end of my postdoc), I might have to do a second postdoc and if I file for waiver now it would be impossible to get another J1 visa for the second postdoc. On the hindsight, I know the advice was absolutely wrong but at that time I believed it and there bagan all my trouble.

          My timeline

          I received a job offer to start as a tenure track faculty at an University on March 17th, 2014 and accepted on the same day. I was supposed to join the new job on August 27th, 2014 after getting a H1B on cap-exempt category.
          March 18th, 2014: Went to Indian embassy, New York In person with the notarized forms, Cash, passport and DS2019 and got the forms attested. I shipped them via FedEx to Kolkata, India on the same day. I used one day shipping.
          March 21st, 2014: My parents called to let me know that they received the package.
          March 22nd 2014: My father posted the form to Delhi.
          March 24th, 2014: Post office indicated the form is received at MHRD
          April 3rd, 2014: My father managed to get the NORI letter from Regional Passport office, Kolkata.
          April 23rd, 2014: My father managed to get the NORI letter from State Government as well.
          May 5th, 2014: Received a letter from MHRD stating they are rejecting my request to issue a NORI as the forms are not self-attested. Called MHRD and understood it's a newly implemented criteria under the new government. Took out the extra attested copy of form I made earlier. Quickly signed across it (self-attest) and again shipped it via FedEx to MHRD.
          July 9th, 2014: Prepared the USDoS form and received a case number and a third party bar code page. On the same day received the NORI from MHRD. Mailed all the documents together to USDoS.
          July 11th, 2014: Went to Indian embassy, New York with all the NORI I collected, The USDoS case number and application fee.
          July 13th, 2014: Received the waiver certificate in person. They said they will fwd it to Indian embassy in Washington which will then issue a final No Objection Statement (NOS).
          July 25th, 2014: Received waiver certificate from Indian embassy in Washington They also indicated that they have forwarded the final NORI to USDoS.
          July 31st, 2014: USDoS indicated they received all document including the final NORI from Indian embassy,Washington.
          August 19th, 2014: By now, I was beyond worried and was getting repeated calls from my future employer as they wanted to start with the H1B process. I was to join them on August 27th and teach two mathematics undergraduate courses beginning September. Repeated mailing to [email protected] did not help. I received the following reply from them "Our Waiver Review Division is making every effort to offer expedited processing for our waiver applicants. However, The Department of State Bureau of Consular Affairs is currently experiencing technical problems with our visa system. We are operating at a significantly reduced capacity and will be until we clear the document backlog. Your J1-waiver case will be processed once we are fully operational." In desperation, I finally talked to an immigration lawyer, who suggested to talk to the local senator and ask her to contact USDoS on my behalf. My wife works in the legal department of a biotech company. When she broached the topic in her office one of the senior lawyers suggested her to talk to the local congressman. We decided to do both and sent a request to both the local senator and congressman explaining our scenario.
          August 20th, 2014: I received a call from the local congressman's office who asked me more in detail about my situation. Later on the same day, I received another mail from the senator's office asking for some more information. In the evening I got a mail from the Congressman's office that they have already contacted USDoS and they already issued a favorable recommendation on the same day.
          August 21st, 2014: I received a mail from Senator's office confirming the same. Later received yet another mail from USDoS granting a favorable recommendation. I forwarded the mail to my future employer.
          August 22nd, 2014: My employer filed for cap-exempt H1B under premium processing.
          August 29th, 2014: USCIS indicated they received my application from USDoS but they are yet to generate a form I-612.
          August 29th, 2014: The senator's office contacted me to let me know the request to expedite was denied by USCIS. They asked me to prepare another letter requesting to expedite.
          September 2nd, 2014: Prepared another letter to request expedition of J1 waiver. Sent a copy to both the senators office and the congressman's office. I also called USCIS and made a phone request to expedite my J1 waiver application.
          September 3rd, 2014: In the morning, I received a mail from my employer stating my H1B petition is approved. In the afternoon, I received a mail from USCIS stating my request to expedite the J1 waiver approval is granted. Received a third mail in the evening from USCIS stating my J1 waiver request is approved. Currently I'm still waiting for both the H1b andJ1 waiver approval notice. Any idea how soon I will receive them?

          My take from the situation,

          1. Don't blindly trust your international scholars office. Double check everything.
          2. The self-attestation to forms is newly implemented under the new government. So please make sure to sign your form before sending them to MHRD.
          3. If you are stuck in a situation like mine, reach out to local congressman or senator. They might be able to pull you through in the nick of time.

          Comment


          • #6
            J1 waiver expedited processing

            Dear 'waived'.
            I am in a similar situation as yours. I have a H-1 offer letter from employer starting Sept 1st. My DS-2019 (research scholar) expired on August 31st, so now am in the grace period. In my waiver process - Dept of State sent favorable recommendation on August 1st. USCIS receipt notice is August 21st. Still waiting. I contacted local senator's office and they submitted for expedited processing on my behalf with a letter I wrote citing financial hardship; but that got rejected. Now I can resubmit through the local senator's office again if I can get a letter from my employer. Would it be possible to share the format of the letter or the language you used successfully? That would be very helpful.

            Thanks.


            **** **** **** **** **** **** *
            Originally posted by waived View Post
            Hi All,

            Just wanted to share my timeline with you mostly because it's a little unusual from the traditional route and if someone is stuck in situation like mine, they might benefit from it. In my second year of postdoc (of a three year total) I approached the school's international scholars office to check if I should file a J1 waiver then but they emphatically asked me not file a waiver till I get a job. Their reasoning was if I don't get a faculty job (which I was hoping to get at the end of my postdoc), I might have to do a second postdoc and if I file for waiver now it would be impossible to get another J1 visa for the second postdoc. On the hindsight, I know the advice was absolutely wrong but at that time I believed it and there bagan all my trouble.

            My timeline

            I received a job offer to start as a tenure track faculty at an University on March 17th, 2014 and accepted on the same day. I was supposed to join the new job on August 27th, 2014 after getting a H1B on cap-exempt category.
            March 18th, 2014: Went to Indian embassy, New York In person with the notarized forms, Cash, passport and DS2019 and got the forms attested. I shipped them via FedEx to Kolkata, India on the same day. I used one day shipping.
            March 21st, 2014: My parents called to let me know that they received the package.
            March 22nd 2014: My father posted the form to Delhi.
            March 24th, 2014: Post office indicated the form is received at MHRD
            April 3rd, 2014: My father managed to get the NORI letter from Regional Passport office, Kolkata.
            April 23rd, 2014: My father managed to get the NORI letter from State Government as well.
            May 5th, 2014: Received a letter from MHRD stating they are rejecting my request to issue a NORI as the forms are not self-attested. Called MHRD and understood it's a newly implemented criteria under the new government. Took out the extra attested copy of form I made earlier. Quickly signed across it (self-attest) and again shipped it via FedEx to MHRD.
            July 9th, 2014: Prepared the USDoS form and received a case number and a third party bar code page. On the same day received the NORI from MHRD. Mailed all the documents together to USDoS.
            July 11th, 2014: Went to Indian embassy, New York with all the NORI I collected, The USDoS case number and application fee.
            July 13th, 2014: Received the waiver certificate in person. They said they will fwd it to Indian embassy in Washington which will then issue a final No Objection Statement (NOS).
            July 25th, 2014: Received waiver certificate from Indian embassy in Washington They also indicated that they have forwarded the final NORI to USDoS.
            July 31st, 2014: USDoS indicated they received all document including the final NORI from Indian embassy,Washington.
            August 19th, 2014: By now, I was beyond worried and was getting repeated calls from my future employer as they wanted to start with the H1B process. I was to join them on August 27th and teach two mathematics undergraduate courses beginning September. Repeated mailing to [email protected] did not help. I received the following reply from them "Our Waiver Review Division is making every effort to offer expedited processing for our waiver applicants. However, The Department of State Bureau of Consular Affairs is currently experiencing technical problems with our visa system. We are operating at a significantly reduced capacity and will be until we clear the document backlog. Your J1-waiver case will be processed once we are fully operational." In desperation, I finally talked to an immigration lawyer, who suggested to talk to the local senator and ask her to contact USDoS on my behalf. My wife works in the legal department of a biotech company. When she broached the topic in her office one of the senior lawyers suggested her to talk to the local congressman. We decided to do both and sent a request to both the local senator and congressman explaining our scenario.
            August 20th, 2014: I received a call from the local congressman's office who asked me more in detail about my situation. Later on the same day, I received another mail from the senator's office asking for some more information. In the evening I got a mail from the Congressman's office that they have already contacted USDoS and they already issued a favorable recommendation on the same day.
            August 21st, 2014: I received a mail from Senator's office confirming the same. Later received yet another mail from USDoS granting a favorable recommendation. I forwarded the mail to my future employer.
            August 22nd, 2014: My employer filed for cap-exempt H1B under premium processing.
            August 29th, 2014: USCIS indicated they received my application from USDoS but they are yet to generate a form I-612.
            August 29th, 2014: The senator's office contacted me to let me know the request to expedite was denied by USCIS. They asked me to prepare another letter requesting to expedite.
            September 2nd, 2014: Prepared another letter to request expedition of J1 waiver. Sent a copy to both the senators office and the congressman's office. I also called USCIS and made a phone request to expedite my J1 waiver application.
            September 3rd, 2014: In the morning, I received a mail from my employer stating my H1B petition is approved. In the afternoon, I received a mail from USCIS stating my request to expedite the J1 waiver approval is granted. Received a third mail in the evening from USCIS stating my J1 waiver request is approved. Currently I'm still waiting for both the H1b andJ1 waiver approval notice. Any idea how soon I will receive them?

            My take from the situation,

            1. Don't blindly trust your international scholars office. Double check everything.
            2. The self-attestation to forms is newly implemented under the new government. So please make sure to sign your form before sending them to MHRD.
            3. If you are stuck in a situation like mine, reach out to local congressman or senator. They might be able to pull you through in the nick of time.

            Comment


            • #7
              when to apply for waiver

              Speaking from my own experience, you should start at least 1 year before the expiry date on your DS-2019. If your home country is India, that could take 5-7 months to get the NOC from the 3 offices there, then you have to allow for several weeks each for the Dept. of State and USCIS.

              **** **** **** **** **** **
              Originally posted by mghezeli View Post
              Hi, would you please inform me when we can apply for the waiver? Should we wait for the end of our postdoc? Thanks.

              Comment


              • #8
                similar situation

                Hi,

                Thank you for posting your story. This is very helpful. I am in a similar situation. My waiver was approved by the Department of State on August 15, 2014. The USCIS received the US Dept. of State's recommendation on August 21st. I applied for an expedite processing through a local Congressman's office. However, the USCIS denied my expedite request today, September 20, 2014. I need to start my job on October 1st. It seems that it's been a month and the USCIS has still not made their final decision. What should I do? Please advise. Thanks in advance for all your help.

                Originally posted by waived View Post
                Hi All,

                Just wanted to share my timeline with you mostly because it's a little unusual from the traditional route and if someone is stuck in situation like mine, they might benefit from it. In my second year of postdoc (of a three year total) I approached the school's international scholars office to check if I should file a J1 waiver then but they emphatically asked me not file a waiver till I get a job. Their reasoning was if I don't get a faculty job (which I was hoping to get at the end of my postdoc), I might have to do a second postdoc and if I file for waiver now it would be impossible to get another J1 visa for the second postdoc. On the hindsight, I know the advice was absolutely wrong but at that time I believed it and there bagan all my trouble.

                My timeline

                I received a job offer to start as a tenure track faculty at an University on March 17th, 2014 and accepted on the same day. I was supposed to join the new job on August 27th, 2014 after getting a H1B on cap-exempt category.
                March 18th, 2014: Went to Indian embassy, New York In person with the notarized forms, Cash, passport and DS2019 and got the forms attested. I shipped them via FedEx to Kolkata, India on the same day. I used one day shipping.
                March 21st, 2014: My parents called to let me know that they received the package.
                March 22nd 2014: My father posted the form to Delhi.
                March 24th, 2014: Post office indicated the form is received at MHRD
                April 3rd, 2014: My father managed to get the NORI letter from Regional Passport office, Kolkata.
                April 23rd, 2014: My father managed to get the NORI letter from State Government as well.
                May 5th, 2014: Received a letter from MHRD stating they are rejecting my request to issue a NORI as the forms are not self-attested. Called MHRD and understood it's a newly implemented criteria under the new government. Took out the extra attested copy of form I made earlier. Quickly signed across it (self-attest) and again shipped it via FedEx to MHRD.
                July 9th, 2014: Prepared the USDoS form and received a case number and a third party bar code page. On the same day received the NORI from MHRD. Mailed all the documents together to USDoS.
                July 11th, 2014: Went to Indian embassy, New York with all the NORI I collected, The USDoS case number and application fee.
                July 13th, 2014: Received the waiver certificate in person. They said they will fwd it to Indian embassy in Washington which will then issue a final No Objection Statement (NOS).
                July 25th, 2014: Received waiver certificate from Indian embassy in Washington They also indicated that they have forwarded the final NORI to USDoS.
                July 31st, 2014: USDoS indicated they received all document including the final NORI from Indian embassy,Washington.
                August 19th, 2014: By now, I was beyond worried and was getting repeated calls from my future employer as they wanted to start with the H1B process. I was to join them on August 27th and teach two mathematics undergraduate courses beginning September. Repeated mailing to [email protected] did not help. I received the following reply from them "Our Waiver Review Division is making every effort to offer expedited processing for our waiver applicants. However, The Department of State Bureau of Consular Affairs is currently experiencing technical problems with our visa system. We are operating at a significantly reduced capacity and will be until we clear the document backlog. Your J1-waiver case will be processed once we are fully operational." In desperation, I finally talked to an immigration lawyer, who suggested to talk to the local senator and ask her to contact USDoS on my behalf. My wife works in the legal department of a biotech company. When she broached the topic in her office one of the senior lawyers suggested her to talk to the local congressman. We decided to do both and sent a request to both the local senator and congressman explaining our scenario.
                August 20th, 2014: I received a call from the local congressman's office who asked me more in detail about my situation. Later on the same day, I received another mail from the senator's office asking for some more information. In the evening I got a mail from the Congressman's office that they have already contacted USDoS and they already issued a favorable recommendation on the same day.
                August 21st, 2014: I received a mail from Senator's office confirming the same. Later received yet another mail from USDoS granting a favorable recommendation. I forwarded the mail to my future employer.
                August 22nd, 2014: My employer filed for cap-exempt H1B under premium processing.
                August 29th, 2014: USCIS indicated they received my application from USDoS but they are yet to generate a form I-612.
                August 29th, 2014: The senator's office contacted me to let me know the request to expedite was denied by USCIS. They asked me to prepare another letter requesting to expedite.
                September 2nd, 2014: Prepared another letter to request expedition of J1 waiver. Sent a copy to both the senators office and the congressman's office. I also called USCIS and made a phone request to expedite my J1 waiver application.
                September 3rd, 2014: In the morning, I received a mail from my employer stating my H1B petition is approved. In the afternoon, I received a mail from USCIS stating my request to expedite the J1 waiver approval is granted. Received a third mail in the evening from USCIS stating my J1 waiver request is approved. Currently I'm still waiting for both the H1b andJ1 waiver approval notice. Any idea how soon I will receive them?

                My take from the situation,

                1. Don't blindly trust your international scholars office. Double check everything.
                2. The self-attestation to forms is newly implemented under the new government. So please make sure to sign your form before sending them to MHRD.
                3. If you are stuck in a situation like mine, reach out to local congressman or senator. They might be able to pull you through in the nick of time.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Query

                  Hi

                  I will be starting my postdoc soon. Just wanted to know that if my profession is on Indian skills list. Still i can get a waiver. I mean no objection certificate. Thanks in advance. Much appreciated


                  Originally posted by waived View Post
                  Hi All,

                  Just wanted to share my timeline with you mostly because it's a little unusual from the traditional route and if someone is stuck in situation like mine, they might benefit from it. In my second year of postdoc (of a three year total) I approached the school's international scholars office to check if I should file a J1 waiver then but they emphatically asked me not file a waiver till I get a job. Their reasoning was if I don't get a faculty job (which I was hoping to get at the end of my postdoc), I might have to do a second postdoc and if I file for waiver now it would be impossible to get another J1 visa for the second postdoc. On the hindsight, I know the advice was absolutely wrong but at that time I believed it and there bagan all my trouble.

                  My timeline

                  I received a job offer to start as a tenure track faculty at an University on March 17th, 2014 and accepted on the same day. I was supposed to join the new job on August 27th, 2014 after getting a H1B on cap-exempt category.
                  March 18th, 2014: Went to Indian embassy, New York In person with the notarized forms, Cash, passport and DS2019 and got the forms attested. I shipped them via FedEx to Kolkata, India on the same day. I used one day shipping.
                  March 21st, 2014: My parents called to let me know that they received the package.
                  March 22nd 2014: My father posted the form to Delhi.
                  March 24th, 2014: Post office indicated the form is received at MHRD
                  April 3rd, 2014: My father managed to get the NORI letter from Regional Passport office, Kolkata.
                  April 23rd, 2014: My father managed to get the NORI letter from State Government as well.
                  May 5th, 2014: Received a letter from MHRD stating they are rejecting my request to issue a NORI as the forms are not self-attested. Called MHRD and understood it's a newly implemented criteria under the new government. Took out the extra attested copy of form I made earlier. Quickly signed across it (self-attest) and again shipped it via FedEx to MHRD.
                  July 9th, 2014: Prepared the USDoS form and received a case number and a third party bar code page. On the same day received the NORI from MHRD. Mailed all the documents together to USDoS.
                  July 11th, 2014: Went to Indian embassy, New York with all the NORI I collected, The USDoS case number and application fee.
                  July 13th, 2014: Received the waiver certificate in person. They said they will fwd it to Indian embassy in Washington which will then issue a final No Objection Statement (NOS).
                  July 25th, 2014: Received waiver certificate from Indian embassy in Washington They also indicated that they have forwarded the final NORI to USDoS.
                  July 31st, 2014: USDoS indicated they received all document including the final NORI from Indian embassy,Washington.
                  August 19th, 2014: By now, I was beyond worried and was getting repeated calls from my future employer as they wanted to start with the H1B process. I was to join them on August 27th and teach two mathematics undergraduate courses beginning September. Repeated mailing to [email protected] did not help. I received the following reply from them "Our Waiver Review Division is making every effort to offer expedited processing for our waiver applicants. However, The Department of State Bureau of Consular Affairs is currently experiencing technical problems with our visa system. We are operating at a significantly reduced capacity and will be until we clear the document backlog. Your J1-waiver case will be processed once we are fully operational." In desperation, I finally talked to an immigration lawyer, who suggested to talk to the local senator and ask her to contact USDoS on my behalf. My wife works in the legal department of a biotech company. When she broached the topic in her office one of the senior lawyers suggested her to talk to the local congressman. We decided to do both and sent a request to both the local senator and congressman explaining our scenario.
                  August 20th, 2014: I received a call from the local congressman's office who asked me more in detail about my situation. Later on the same day, I received another mail from the senator's office asking for some more information. In the evening I got a mail from the Congressman's office that they have already contacted USDoS and they already issued a favorable recommendation on the same day.
                  August 21st, 2014: I received a mail from Senator's office confirming the same. Later received yet another mail from USDoS granting a favorable recommendation. I forwarded the mail to my future employer.
                  August 22nd, 2014: My employer filed for cap-exempt H1B under premium processing.
                  August 29th, 2014: USCIS indicated they received my application from USDoS but they are yet to generate a form I-612.
                  August 29th, 2014: The senator's office contacted me to let me know the request to expedite was denied by USCIS. They asked me to prepare another letter requesting to expedite.
                  September 2nd, 2014: Prepared another letter to request expedition of J1 waiver. Sent a copy to both the senators office and the congressman's office. I also called USCIS and made a phone request to expedite my J1 waiver application.
                  September 3rd, 2014: In the morning, I received a mail from my employer stating my H1B petition is approved. In the afternoon, I received a mail from USCIS stating my request to expedite the J1 waiver approval is granted. Received a third mail in the evening from USCIS stating my J1 waiver request is approved. Currently I'm still waiting for both the H1b andJ1 waiver approval notice. Any idea how soon I will receive them?

                  My take from the situation,

                  1. Don't blindly trust your international scholars office. Double check everything.
                  2. The self-attestation to forms is newly implemented under the new government. So please make sure to sign your form before sending them to MHRD.
                  3. If you are stuck in a situation like mine, reach out to local congressman or senator. They might be able to pull you through in the nick of time.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    My Timeline 2016

                    Good afternoon,

                    I'm Brazilian and I went to the U.S. in August 2013 and moved back to Brazil in December 2013. I participated in the Brazilian Government`s program called 'Science without Borders' (Ciência sem Fronteiras). I started my J-1 Waiver process as soon as I got in Brazil (January 2015) but CAPES (the Brazilian Government sponsor) just gave me the No Objection letter in July 2016. So, I would like to share with you guys my current timeline and I would like to ask those who already got their final Waiver letter some questions:

                    How was the Favorable Recomendation sent to your address? Did they use the self addressed envelope? Did you guys got it while in the USA or in your home country?
                    How was the USCIS receipt received? Self addressed envelope or just a common post office letter?
                    How was the final Waiver lettter received? Self addressed envelope?
                    How long did it take since the Favorable Recommendation letter until the final Waiver Letter?
                    Here is my current Timeline:

                    Department of State Advisory Opinion Finding: Favorable Recommendation
                    Item Action Date

                    Recommendation Sent July, 28 2016
                    No Objection Statement Received July, 08 2016
                    Fee Received January, 20 2015
                    Form DS-3035 Received January, 20 2015
                    Form DS-2019 Received January, 20 2015
                    Passport Data Page Received January, 20 2015
                    Statement Of Reason Received January, 20 2015
                    Other Received January, 20 2015

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Same situation

                      Originally posted by Tapir View Post
                      Hi All,
                      I have been going through the J-1 visa related 2-year home residency requirement waiver process in the past 6 months. Now that it is finally over, I wanted to share my timeline with people because the immigration forums have been a great help for me in the process.
                      First I have to note that I am from Turkey and have been working in US under J-1 status as a Research Scholar (post-doctoral). I was subject to the requirement due to my particular skill-set. I applied for the waiver on the No objection basis. Here is my timeline:
                      November 5, 2013: I sent out my application to Department of State (DOS) and simultaneously to the Turkish Embassy in Washington for the No Objection Letter (NOL). My case became active on the DOS online system after about 3 weeks, indicating that they received all my application materials, except, of course, the NOL.
                      February 1, 2014: The Turkish Embassy sent me an e-mail indicating that they forwarded the NOL to DOS.
                      February 14, 2014: The status of my case on the online waiver system was updated saying that they received the NOL.
                      February 24, 2014: DOS online system was updated that a “Funding source memo” was requested and an “Unknown” document was sent. I became a little paranoid at this stage. I never received any funding from the Turkish Government. However, my funds were coming from a grant that my advisor received from a US Government Agency. Turned out I was OK though since the grant was not granted to me personally to fund my exchange visitor program (I was not a principle investigator or anything.)
                      March 5, 2014: DOS online system was updated to reflect that the “Unknown” document was received. Decision was still “Pending”.
                      March 24, 2014: The decision on the DOS online system was updated to “Favorable Recommendation” and it was indicated that the “Recommendation” was sent.
                      April 4, 2014: I received a I-797C, notice of action from U.S Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) indicating that my I-612 is now being processed as of March 31,2014. I did NOT, however, receive a copy of the Favorable Recommendation letter from DOS in the mail.
                      April 8, 2014: I sent an e-mail to the [email protected] (only way to inquire DOS about your waiver processing) asking about the recommendation letter.
                      April 28, 2014: I received a reply from [email protected] with the attached copy of the recommendation letter. Have not still received any copy in the mail. Also, no updates from USCIS at this point.

                      May 7, 2014: The USCIS online system indicated that they approved my I-612 and mailed the notice of approval. Finally!!
                      Entire process took about 6 months as one may anticipate. Obviously it depends on how fast your home country or sometimes your sponsor responds when they are inquired. Best of luck to anyone going through the same hassle.
                      Good morning Tapir,
                      I'm Brazilian and I went to the U.S. in August 2013 and moved back to Brazil in December 2013. I participated in the Brazilian Government`s program called 'Science without Borders' (Ciência sem Fronteiras). I started my J-1 Waiver process as soon as I got in Brazil (January 2015) but CAPES (the Brazilian Government sponsor) just gave me the No Objection letter in July 2016. So, I would like to share with you guys my current timeline and I would like to ask those who already got their final Waiver letter some questions:

                      I also didn't get the Recommendation letter until I emailed the DoS and they sent it to me by email.
                      I didn't receive my I-797C, thus I don't know my receipt number and I can't check my case status on USCIS.
                      I called USCIS a lot of times and they asked my if I filed the I-612. I explained to them that my Waiver is based on No Objection and I filed the DS-3035 with the Department of State. They ignore me and always say I should contact DoS then.
                      It seems like they don't know the process. I defined my Brazilian address when I filed the DS-3035 and it might be the reason for not receiving it by mail.
                      Should I tell the USCIS Costumer Representative that I filed the I-612 even though it is not true?
                      I've looked online about it and it seems like USCIS deal with the Waiver using I-612 even when actually the applicant start the process using the Department of State.

                      Two more questions:

                      How was the USCIS receipt received? Self addressed envelope or just a common post office letter?
                      How was the final Waiver lettter received? Self addressed envelope?
                      How long did it take since the Favorable Recommendation letter until the final Waiver Letter?

                      Here is my current Timeline:
                      Department of State Advisory Opinion Finding: Favorable Recommendation
                      Item Action Date
                      Recommendation Sent July, 28 2016
                      No Objection Statement Received July, 08 2016
                      Fee Received January, 20 2015
                      Form DS-3035 Received January, 20 2015
                      Form DS-2019 Received January, 20 2015
                      Passport Data Page Received January, 20 2015
                      Statement Of Reason Received January, 20 2015
                      Other Received January, 20 2015

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Same thing is happening to me

                        Originally posted by Tapir View Post
                        Hi All,
                        I have been going through the J-1 visa related 2-year home residency requirement waiver process in the past 6 months. Now that it is finally over, I wanted to share my timeline with people because the immigration forums have been a great help for me in the process.
                        First I have to note that I am from Turkey and have been working in US under J-1 status as a Research Scholar (post-doctoral). I was subject to the requirement due to my particular skill-set. I applied for the waiver on the No objection basis. Here is my timeline:
                        November 5, 2013: I sent out my application to Department of State (DOS) and simultaneously to the Turkish Embassy in Washington for the No Objection Letter (NOL). My case became active on the DOS online system after about 3 weeks, indicating that they received all my application materials, except, of course, the NOL.
                        February 1, 2014: The Turkish Embassy sent me an e-mail indicating that they forwarded the NOL to DOS.
                        February 14, 2014: The status of my case on the online waiver system was updated saying that they received the NOL.
                        February 24, 2014: DOS online system was updated that a “Funding source memo” was requested and an “Unknown” document was sent. I became a little paranoid at this stage. I never received any funding from the Turkish Government. However, my funds were coming from a grant that my advisor received from a US Government Agency. Turned out I was OK though since the grant was not granted to me personally to fund my exchange visitor program (I was not a principle investigator or anything.)
                        March 5, 2014: DOS online system was updated to reflect that the “Unknown” document was received. Decision was still “Pending”.
                        March 24, 2014: The decision on the DOS online system was updated to “Favorable Recommendation” and it was indicated that the “Recommendation” was sent.
                        April 4, 2014: I received a I-797C, notice of action from U.S Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) indicating that my I-612 is now being processed as of March 31,2014. I did NOT, however, receive a copy of the Favorable Recommendation letter from DOS in the mail.
                        April 8, 2014: I sent an e-mail to the [email protected] (only way to inquire DOS about your waiver processing) asking about the recommendation letter.
                        April 28, 2014: I received a reply from [email protected] with the attached copy of the recommendation letter. Have not still received any copy in the mail. Also, no updates from USCIS at this point.

                        May 7, 2014: The USCIS online system indicated that they approved my I-612 and mailed the notice of approval. Finally!!
                        Entire process took about 6 months as one may anticipate. Obviously it depends on how fast your home country or sometimes your sponsor responds when they are inquired. Best of luck to anyone going through the same hassle.

                        Good morning Tapir,
                        I'm Brazilian and I went to the U.S. in August 2013 and moved back to Brazil in December 2013. I participated in the Brazilian Government`s program called 'Science without Borders' (Ciência sem Fronteiras). I started my J-1 Waiver process as soon as I got in Brazil (January 2015) but CAPES (the Brazilian Government sponsor) just gave me the No Objection letter in July 2016. So, I would like to share with you guys my current timeline and I would like to ask those who already got their final Waiver letter some questions:

                        I also didn't get the Recommendation letter until I emailed the DoS and they sent it to me by email.
                        I didn't receive my I-797C, thus I don't know my receipt number and I can't check my case status on USCIS.
                        I called USCIS a lot of times and they asked my if I filed the I-612. I explained to them that my Waiver is based on No Objection and I filed the DS-3035 with the Department of State. They ignore me and always say I should contact DoS then.
                        It seems like they don't know the process. I defined my Brazilian address when I filed the DS-3035 and it might be the reason for not receiving it by mail.
                        Should I tell the USCIS Costumer Representative that I filed the I-612 even though it is not true?
                        I've looked online about it and it seems like USCIS deal with the Waiver using I-612 even when actually the applicant start the process using the Department of State.

                        Two more questions:

                        How was the USCIS receipt received? Self addressed envelope or just a common post office letter?
                        How was the final Waiver lettter received? Self addressed envelope?
                        How long did it take since the Favorable Recommendation letter until the final Waiver Letter?

                        Here is my current Timeline:
                        Department of State Advisory Opinion Finding: Favorable Recommendation
                        Item Action Date
                        Recommendation Sent July, 28 2016
                        No Objection Statement Received July, 08 2016
                        Fee Received January, 20 2015
                        Form DS-3035 Received January, 20 2015
                        Form DS-2019 Received January, 20 2015
                        Passport Data Page Received January, 20 2015
                        Statement Of Reason Received January, 20 2015
                        Other Received January, 20 2015

                        Comment

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