2019 J1 WAIVER TIMELINE - New Applicants

[hlUSAj1 6]

1 hour ago, Hardship waiver said:

Congratulations!! Did DoS ever update your case on the website? 

Yes, this is my timeline @Hardship waiver

Edited January 16, 2021 by hlUSAj1

[SG_J1 4]

15 weeks since my NOS was received and still Pending 🤢

[Prickles 0]

2 hours ago, SG_J1 said:

15 weeks since my NOS was received and still Pending 🤢

Mine was over 16 weeks. I recommend you email DOS reminding them that you are standing by awaiting the decision. I received an FR about a week after sending the email.

[J1twe 0]

I am applying through NOS as basis. I filed my DS-3035 with DoS. Do i also need to file a I-612 for a NOS based J1-waiver? Please help.

[Jacobian 9]

Finally received my FR on January 15th. 

 

 

 

[SG_J1 4]

2 minutes ago, Jacobian said:

Finally received my FR on January 15th. 

 

 

 

Wow congratulations! That was incredibly fast! I do not know why it is so slow for me 😕 Did you ask for expedited processing? Or was your DS2019 about to expire?

[FBA 1]

I have a US funding and I applied under NOC category and after a long wait I got my approval on Jan 15. Can any one told me how much time now USCIS will take to sent the final approval?

[Jacobian 9]

@SG_J1 I believe they are working on the files and updating the portal. So hang in tight, good news will be coming your way soon. 

Edited January 19, 2021 by Jacobian

[SG_J1 4]

23 minutes ago, Jacobian said:

@SG_J1 I believe they are working on the files and updating the portal. So hang in tight, good news will be coming your way soon. 

I mean yes.. obviously.. that is literally their job description...

 

What I do not understand is that they say they handle cases on a first in first out basis (processed in order of receipt of NOS) but it took only 1 week for you and for me still nothing after 16 weeks.

Either they prioritised your case because of:

- Expedited processing

- DS2019 about to expire

- Some other reason I do not know

Or my case is delayed because of:

- Home government funding

- DS2019 valid until 2022

- Some ungodly administrative reason I do not know

 

Anyway thank you for your kind words!

[Oriol 4]

Hi all,

 

I had posted on the 2020 forum, but to maximize exposure I will re-post here my initial post with timeline:

********

Hello everyone, I'm new to the forum and to the thread.

I am sharing below my timeline (please take into account that mine is, I think, a fairly straightforward case in that I did not receive home-country—Colombia—or US funds;  I am subject to the residency requirement because I am in the "skills list" even though it does not really apply: I am classed under "foreign languages" for some unfathomable reason although what I did was a PhD on ancient history; I have been living in Canada since 2017 and am currently a permanent resident of Canada; I want to return to the US to take an academic job offer).

 

 

-If you are from Colombia (I am), please know that it will take the embassy a leisurely five months to send your NOS to the DOS (at least they tell you so upfront and the receptionist at the embassy in DC is very helpful—believe it or not, it is the receptionist who will process your request, which is sent to SENA, ICETEX, and COLCIENCIAS).

********

My main finds so far:

-The date of update of the NOS to "received" is irrelevant, at least in terms of processing times: the date of issue your embassy gives you is more or less the one in which your application will start being processed, and the DoS may mark it as "received" or not. The reason is unknown: while it may be simple inattention, I wonder if for applications deemed for some reason trickier the NOS is not updated so that, if the processing was to take a really long time, the processing time for a "complete" application will not start accruing until the NOS is updated...

-The time between NOS receipt (updated or not on the DoS page) and FR is between 3 and 4 months.

 

Now, there is still a lot of variation within that, and the pattern seems hard to discern. I would encourage future posts to disclose—inasmuch as you are comfortable with it—what aggravating or extenuating factors you think may be at play in your application.

 

[SG_J1 4]

Does anyone know if there is any way to call the DoS?

[Hardship waiver 20]

13 minutes ago, SG_J1 said:

Does anyone know if there is any way to call the DoS?

Unfortunately there isn’t. You can email them and they usually respond within 15 days.

[melmasry 0]

On 1/19/2021 at 6:09 PM, FBA said:

I have a US funding and I applied under NOC category and after a long wait I got my approval on Jan 15. Can any one told me how much time now USCIS will take to sent the final approval?

what type of funding did you received, is it like Fulbright

[FBA 1]

Yes it’s a Fulbright type funding, basically an exchange visitor pgm

17 hours ago, melmasry said:

what type of funding did you received, is it like Fulbright

 

[FBA 1]

On 1/19/2021 at 11:09 AM, FBA said:

I have a US funding and I applied under NOC category and after a long wait I got my approval on Jan 15. Can any one told me how much time now USCIS will take to sent the final approval?

Can any one have an idea what will be the response of USCIS and how much time agency will take ?