J1 waiver 2020 NOS update timeline

[asmacan 3]

45 minutes ago, Rimssk said:

Hi, Have you received the waiver?

Not yet but waiting soon

[dcg1011 5]

At long last, I got the approval today!

 

The same day I was able to locate my case (and was notified about it). The only atypical thing I did was to create the USCIS account and associate my Case Number to it.

 

Some hours later...puff...Case Approved.

 

This is the final timeline: (hopefully useful for those starting this dreadful and long process)

 

DOS:

Submission of Application: Nov 24, 2021

Submission accepted in St. Louis: Nov 29, 2021

Case showed in DOS check status website: Mar 20, 2022

No Objection Statement (received): Mar 24, 2022 (I was sent way before but this is what they report)

Passport data page (received): Mar 29, 2022

Favorable Recommendation - Sent (to USCIS): May 25, 2022

 

USCIS:

i612 Received: June 13, 2022

Form Accepted:  June 28, 2022

Change of office: June 30, 2022

Name Update: July 5, 2022 (not sure what this is but they mentioned they made an update to the Attorney information, they changed names as one was on a leave)

Case Approved: July 6, 2022

 

Thus, the whole process took: 7 months and 2 weeks (add 8 weeks if you consider the Advisory Opinion step)

 

 

Anyway, thanks everybody for the moral support. This forum made the whole process waaaaay more bearable. 

 

Best of luck to all with your processes. 

 

dcg1011

 

 

[qwopqwop 5]

5 minutes ago, dcg1011 said:

At long last, I got the approval today!

 

The same day I was able to locate my case (and was notified about it). The only atypical thing I did was to create the USCIS account and associate my Case Number to it.

 

Some hours later...puff...Case Approved.

 

This is the final timeline: (hopefully useful for those starting this dreadful and long process)

 

DOS:

Submission of Application: Nov 24, 2021

Submission accepted in St. Louis: Nov 29, 2021

Case showed in DOS check status website: Mar 20, 2022

No Objection Statement (received): Mar 24, 2022 (I was sent way before but this is what they report)

Passport data page (received): Mar 29, 2022

Favorable Recommendation - Sent (to USCIS): May 25, 2022

 

USCIS:

i612 Received: June 13, 2022

Form Accepted:  June 28, 2022

Change of office: June 30, 2022

Name Update: July 5, 2022 (not sure what this is but they mentioned they made an update to the Attorney information, they changed names as one was on a leave)

Case Approved: July 6, 2022

 

Thus, the whole process took: 7 months and 2 weeks (add 8 weeks if you consider the Advisory Opinion step)

 

 

Anyway, thanks everybody for the moral support. This forum made the whole process waaaaay more bearable. 

 

Best of luck to all with your processes. 

 

dcg1011

 

 

My case was received on June 21 (FR on May 4) but I still didn’t get my approval. I’m wondering if that is because I had to leave the US before it was approved? @dcg1011 are you currently in the US?

[dcg1011 5]

1 hour ago, qwopqwop said:

My case was received on June 21 (FR on May 4) but I still didn’t get my approval. I’m wondering if that is because I had to leave the US before it was approved? @dcg1011 are you currently in the US?

 

Hi @qwopqwop it's hard to say whether your case is taking longer to be approved due to being outside the US.

 

I currently am out of the US too (and was throughout the whole application), and I also have the hunch my case took longer due to that. However, once it was received it was relatively fast (but it took long to be officially received by the USCIS).

 

 

[Amoyar_Dever 30]

Finally off the hook! USCIS approved my waiver on July 6th.

 

**Case Background**

Waiver basis- No Objection Statement

Country of Citizenship- India

US government funding: Yes, I was funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH)

 

**Recap of my timeline for the reference of others**

Oct 20, 2021- Docs delivered at St. Louis lockbox by USPS Express Mail

Oct 29, 2021- Indian embassy in DC emailed NOS to the Waiver Review Division (WRD)

Feb 10, 2022- All docs marked as "Received" on the DoS portal

April 22, 2022- DoS requested Sponsor Views from the NIH

April 27, 2022- DoS "Received" Sponsor Views

May 12, 2022- DoS issued a "Favorable" recommendation, and forwarded the case electronically to the USCIS Vermont Service Center

June 25, 2022- Received "Receipt Notice" from the USCIS. As per the Receipt Notice, USCIS received my case on May 23, 2022

July 6, 2022- USCIS approved the case and mailed notice

 

Good luck everyone! It's a game of waiting..

[konrad89 4]

Hey Guys, I’ve got a question for those who contacted 212ewaver. Did you always get replies from “Visa Specialist/SB” or you noticed sometimes other initials? I wonder if it’s just one person who is doing that all the time. I had some email exchange a while ago, and the first reply was extremely fast, now it’s hard to get a reply at all. 

[Rimssk 1]

40 minutes ago, konrad89 said:

Hey Guys, I’ve got a question for those who contacted 212ewaver. Did you always get replies from “Visa Specialist/SB” or you noticed sometimes other initials? I wonder if it’s just one person who is doing that all the time. I had some email exchange a while ago, and the first reply was extremely fast, now it’s hard to get a reply at all. 

Yes, everytime I got a reply from Visa Specialist/SB

[qwopqwop 5]

45 minutes ago, konrad89 said:

Hey Guys, I’ve got a question for those who contacted 212ewaver. Did you always get replies from “Visa Specialist/SB” or you noticed sometimes other initials? I wonder if it’s just one person who is doing that all the time. I had some email exchange a while ago, and the first reply was extremely fast, now it’s hard to get a reply at all. 

Yes, always SB. At some point I switched to starting my emails with "Hello SB"

 

BTW, am I the only one who didn't get approval within 10 days of USCIS receipt notice? Mine was issued June 17 and I'm still waiting... 

[Rimssk 1]

Finally ! USCIS approved my waiver on July 12th.

 

**Case Background**

Waiver basis- No Objection Statement

Country of Citizenship- India

 

**Recap of my timeline for the reference of others**

Oct 8, 2021- Docs delivered at St. Louis lockbox by USPS Express Mail

Nov 14, 2021- Indian embassy in DC emailed NOS to the Waiver Review Division (WRD)

Feb 24, 2022- Again sent the Docs package ( looks like they lost the first package)

Mar 10, 2022- Received an email to send again the documents through email.

Mar 13/14, 2022- All docs marked as "Received" on the DoS portal

May 12, 2022- DoS issued a "Favorable" recommendation, and forwarded the case electronically to the USCIS Vermont Service Center

June 21, 2022- Received "Receipt Notice" from the USCIS. As per the Receipt Notice, USCIS received my case on May , 2022

July 8, 2022- USCIS approved the case and mailed notice

 

Good luck everyone! It's a game of waiting..

[GHYF 2]

On 7/6/2022 at 10:25 AM, Curious one said:

Recent Update: 

June 15th, 2022 FR Sent

June 27, 2022 We accepted your Form I-612, Application for Waiver of the Foreign Residence Requirement (under Section 212(e) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, as Amended).

June 29, 2022 Case Was Received At Another USCIS Office

 

And, waiting.....

 

I have a similar timeline. Have u heard anything?

[Curious one 3]

3 hours ago, GHYF said:

I have a similar timeline. Have u heard anything?

On July 14, 2022, we approved your Form I-612, Application for Waiver of the Foreign Residence Requirement (under Section 212(e) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, as Amended),

[GHYF 2]

2 hours ago, Curious one said:

On July 14, 2022, we approved your Form I-612, Application for Waiver of the Foreign Residence Requirement (under Section 212(e) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, as Amended),

Congrats! I haven’t heard anything yet. My timeline:

06/28:Form I-612 accepted

06/30: Form I-612 accepted at another USCIS office 

07/13: Name was updated (not sure what they mean by this)

Still waiting! I’m supposed to start work August 1st!!!

Has anyone tried doing an expedite request? Any experiences with that?

[GHYF 2]

Has anyone tried doing an “expedite request”? Any experiences with that working out?

[qwopqwop 5]

11 minutes ago, GHYF said:

Has anyone tried doing an “expedite request”? Any experiences with that working out?

Yes, I applied for an expedite on the basis of severe financial loss saying I was supposed to start my job in a few weeks. Got denied in 5 days. Submitted a followup request, but not very hopeful about it.

It seems that these cases either take less than a week or more than a month. I can’t figure out a pattern to it…

[GHYF 2]

12 minutes ago, qwopqwop said:

Yes, I applied for an expedite on the basis of severe financial loss saying I was supposed to start my job in a few weeks. Got denied in 5 days. Submitted a followup request, but not very hopeful about it.

It seems that these cases either take less than a week or more than a month. I can’t figure out a pattern to it…

Yeah I can’t figure it out either…My expedite request got approved on 07/13 but still nothing happened except for the “name change update) which I didn’t request!