J-1 Waiver Timelines 2016

[Coco8 1,042]

18 minutes ago, Zarra said:

Thank you again, i don't have a lot of time since my DS expires on December and i have to leave on January. i took this route because the embassy refused to give me a "no-objection" saying that they don't do this stuff (I'm from a small country). If i do a waiver, it would be based on the "hardship" since my finance is a US citizen and we are planning to get married eventually. The reason we are not getting married now is that i have arrived to USA about a month ago, and fast marriage would be suspicious. So I'm waiting for some time to pass, while letting the "advisory opinion" to run on its own.  

 

I've never heard of any embassy refusing in this type of case. I saw a guy from Mauritius on this forum who got one, and that is tiny! Andorra also gives out no objection statements. 

 

If they refuse you can keep calling them or call the Foreign Ministry in your country. You should stress that this is standard and you can even give them a draft. If you are close to DC I would even go to the embassy and request to talk to someone more important. 

 

 

 

[Zarra 0]

9 minutes ago, Coco8 said:

 

I've never heard of any embassy refusing in this type of case. I saw a guy from Mauritius on this forum who got one, and that is tiny! Andorra also gives out no objection statements. 

 

If they refuse you can keep calling them or call the Foreign Ministry in your country. You should stress that this is standard and you can even give them a draft. If you are close to DC I would even go to the embassy and request to talk to someone more important. 

 

 

 

I know that this is ridiculous, perhaps i will try again with a different staff. Thank you again though. 

[Coco8 1,042]

1 minute ago, Zarra said:

I know that this is ridiculous, perhaps i will try again with a different staff. Thank you again though. 

 

I'd like to stress that getting a "hardship" waiver is not easy at all and it is a long process. It can even take as much as going back to your country and completing the 2 years. And it is expensive, some people even hire lawyers because of all the evidence they have to submit.

 

Anyway, I hope you get that you are not subject, but in the meantime I'd try to get a NOS from your embassy. You can complete a waiver form so that you can give them a number and bar code they have to use to submit it. You don't have to send the form and payment for them to be able to send the NOS. You can wait until you get them the NOS to send the form+payment (you don't want to throw away +200 dollars). 

 

 

Edited September 11, 2017 by Coco8

[logisticamente 152]

@Coco8 I ask you since you seem to know a lot of things..

Do you know how can we ask an admin to close this threat so people (including myself) start using the 2017 dated forum?

None of us really belong in this 2016 timeline one since we all applied in 2017...  or that doesn't really matter?

 

[amw_ 4]

I applied in Out/2016 and my case isn't quite over yet.

[logisticamente 152]

2 hours ago, amw_ said:

I applied in Out/2016 and my case isn't quite over yet.

O WOW Im sorry to hear you are still dealing with your waiver.. it is indeed a long and horrible process..

and forgive my ignorance.. I incorrectly assumed all 2016 waiver cases where done..

 

Good Luck!

[yazounet 0]

Ok after a looong long waiting today I had an update on the website and says as follows : 

Item	Action	Date
Funding Source Memo	Sent	September, 13 2017
Response to Funding Source Memo	Requested	September, 13 2017
No Objection Statement	Received	July, 31 2017
Fee	Received	May, 16 2017
Form DS-3035	Received	May, 16 2017
Form DS-2019	Received	May, 16 2017
Passport Data Page	Received	May, 16 2017
Statement Of Reason	Received	May, 16 2017

 

What this new update is supposed to mean? I was not funded by anyone but myself. Did anyone have this update? And  any idea how many more weeks will this add to my total waiting? 

Thank you so much all!

[amw_ 4]

Hi Yazounet,

 

This seems bad. I had a similar situation back in January and only last few weeks it was sorted out. Here's my timeline:

 

Department of State Decision: Favorable Recommendation

Item	Action	Date
Recommendation	Sent	August, 28 2017
Response to Funding Source Memo	Received	August, 23 2017
Funding Source Memo	Sent	January, 10 2017
No Objection Statement	Received	December, 08 2016
Fee	Received	November, 30 2016
Form DS-3035	Received	November, 30 2016
Form DS-2019	Received	November, 30 2016
Passport Data Page	Received	November, 30 2016
Statement Of Reason	Received	November, 30 2016
Other	Received	November, 30 2016
DOS Case File Number	Sent	November, 30 2016

During this 8+ months wait, I tried multiple times to contact the DOS but wasn't able to find out what the memo was or to whom it was sent. My previous sponsors never received anything.

 

This case, of "Funding Source Memo", seems somewhat more rare than the usual "Sponsor Views Request", and apparently takes a lot of time. I moved to my home country in the mean time.

 

Please keep us posted as it can help others in the future.

 

Good luck!

Edited September 14, 2017 by amw_

[logisticamente 152]

51 minutes ago, amw_ said:

Hi Yazounet,

 

This seems bad. I had a similar situation back in January and only last few weeks it was sorted out. Here's my timeline:

 

Department of State Decision: Favorable Recommendation

Item	Action	Date
Recommendation	Sent	August, 28 2017
Response to Funding Source Memo	Received	August, 23 2017
Funding Source Memo	Sent	January, 10 2017
No Objection Statement	Received	December, 08 2016
Fee	Received	November, 30 2016
Form DS-3035	Received	November, 30 2016
Form DS-2019	Received	November, 30 2016
Passport Data Page	Received	November, 30 2016
Statement Of Reason	Received	November, 30 2016
Other	Received	November, 30 2016
DOS Case File Number	Sent	November, 30 2016

During this 8+ months wait, I tried multiple times to contact the DOS but wasn't able to find out what the memo was or to whom it was sent. My previous sponsors never received anything.

 

This case, of "Funding Source Memo", seems somewhat more rare than the usual "Sponsor Views Request", and apparently takes a lot of time. I moved to my home country in the mean time.

 

Please keep us posted as it can help others in the future.

 

Good luck!

That is nuts!!

have you heard anything from UCIS after Favorable Recommendation?

[Coco8 1,042]

9 hours ago, yazounet said:

Ok after a looong long waiting today I had an update on the website and says as follows : 

Item	Action	Date
Funding Source Memo	Sent	September, 13 2017
Response to Funding Source Memo	Requested	September, 13 2017
No Objection Statement	Received	July, 31 2017
Fee	Received	May, 16 2017
Form DS-3035	Received	May, 16 2017
Form DS-2019	Received	May, 16 2017
Passport Data Page	Received	May, 16 2017
Statement Of Reason	Received	May, 16 2017

 

What this new update is supposed to mean? I was not funded by anyone but myself. Did anyone have this update? And  any idea how many more weeks will this add to my total waiting? 

Thank you so much all!

 

Where you a postdoc or something like that? Sometimes they ask if you had a NSF grant or if you were paid by the university, etc., that is when I've seen it.

[amw_ 4]

4 hours ago, logisticamente said:

have you heard anything from UCIS after Favorable Recommendation?

Yes, I have received the NOA (I-797C), but not yet the final document (I-797). The case is pending with them.

 

The NOA was sent to my residential (non-US) address where I was when I submitted the whole paperwork in 2016, not to the address I had indicated as the mailing address (which was a US address, of a friend).

 

If you haven't received yours yet, try checking whether it wasn't sent to your residential address.

[logisticamente 152]

9 minutes ago, amw_ said:

Yes, I have received the NOA (I-797C), but not yet the final document (I-797). The case is pending with them.

 

The NOA was sent to my residential (non-US) address where I was when I submitted the whole paperwork in 2016, not to the address I had indicated as the mailing address (which was a US address, of a friend).

 

If you haven't received yours yet, try checking whether it wasn't sent to your residential address.

I was hoping they sent my NOA1 to my non-US address and it got lost in the mail.. but when I called USCIS (after a month) they couldn't even find my application in the system... The guy I spoke to made a service request to the Vermont Center..

I wanted to have a reference if this was happening with other people.. but I see is not.. I'll keep waiting for the answer of the request and see what happens..

 

Im glad to hear things are finally moving along for you.. I couldnt imagine waiting for so long without knowing whats going on...

[amw_ 4]

2 minutes ago, logisticamente said:

I was hoping they sent my NOA1 to my non-US address and it got lost in the mail.. but when I called USCIS (after a month) they couldn't even find my application in the system... The guy I spoke to made a service request to the Vermont Center..

I wanted to have a reference if this was happening with other people.. but I see is not.. I'll keep waiting for the answer of the request and see what happens..

 

Im glad to hear things are finally moving along for you.. I couldnt imagine waiting for so long without knowing whats going on...

You may have read this elsewhere here in the forum: at USCIS the people who answers the phone often get confused about the No Objection cases, in that it's not you who files the I-612, but the DOS. When speaking to them, make this clear, that the case was filed, and all that you need is the receipt number.

[Coco8 1,042]

2 hours ago, logisticamente said:

I was hoping they sent my NOA1 to my non-US address and it got lost in the mail.. but when I called USCIS (after a month) they couldn't even find my application in the system... The guy I spoke to made a service request to the Vermont Center..

I wanted to have a reference if this was happening with other people.. but I see is not.. I'll keep waiting for the answer of the request and see what happens..

 

Im glad to hear things are finally moving along for you.. I couldnt imagine waiting for so long without knowing whats going on...

Oh, no!

 

I had read it has happened to some. Sometimes USCIS does not get or does not process the DOS letter. Good that they are looking for it. But I'd recommend to be on top of it, so call back in a few days and she if they have any news.

[yazounet 0]

7 hours ago, Coco8 said:

 

Where you a postdoc or something like that? Sometimes they ask if you had a NSF grant or if you were paid by the university, etc., that is when I've seen it.

I can not believe I'd have to wait another 8 months or so. UGH!!! I am a researcher yes. So to give you a bit of insight : I am a medical school graduate and currently enrolled in my home country as a PhD candidate but as I am on the stage of writing my thesis I am doing all of my research here in the States. I am here as 'Research Scholar'.. So as I am a doctor, the embassy attaché that did my visa work told me that it is on my country's skills list. So he had no choice but to apply the 212e 2 year rule. But the funny part is that instead of checking the box of skills list on  my DS-2019 he checked the box 'government funded'. 

So right now I am wondering whether it is because of that mistake or they just want to check if I'm funded by NIH?

Do you guys think I should e-mail DOS and ask them what this is all about? 

and Coco8, do you have any more info about the researchers who had this on their timeline? 

Ps: on my actual visa on the passport it says 212e 2 year rule does NOT apply. I mean.... 🤷🏻‍♂️ But on DS2019 it says it does..

thank you in advance