J1 waiver 2020 NOS update timeline

[Mlle_Wanderlust 3]

On 12/17/2020 at 7:24 PM, vincee said:

 

 

any update on your case?

[vincee 2]

@Mlle_Wanderlust No update. It is still pending and now about 12 weeks after they received my NOS. Already with the 12-16 weeks estimate timeline. Hopefully I get FR within the 16 weeks. Honestly, waiting for the DOS to issue  a FR on your case is a real test of how patient one can be. 😰

[Mlle_Wanderlust 3]

Just now, vincee said:

@Mlle_Wanderlust No update. It is still pending and now about 12 weeks after they received my NOS. Already with the 12-16 weeks estimate timeline. Hopefully I get FR within the 16 weeks. Honestly, waiting for the DOS to issue  a FR on your case is a real test of how patient one can be. 😰

I hope you get it soon. Most people got it within a month of the NOS being received

Try emailing them

You said you have till Feb 2021 on your DS 2019-they should hurry then

[vincee 2]

@Mlle_Wanderlust I extended my DS2019 until 2023 but I will try contacting them next week. Thank you so much for your concern. 

[vincee 2]

@BuseAny update? @SG_J1 Did they respond to your email? 

[Mlle_Wanderlust 3]

8 minutes ago, vincee said:

@Mlle_Wanderlust I extended my DS2019 until 2023 but I will try contacting them next week. Thank you so much for your concern. 

That may be a reason why they are taking time in processing it. Those with DS 2019s expiring soon seem to have received a FR tremendously fast

[dm2003 3]

My DS2019 will be fully expired at the end of this May after 36 months of Academic Training.

My company is filing me H1B this year (not selected last year) and PERM concomitantly thus I will need to be waived if i want to keep the position but nobody can guarantee anything.

Based on everyone's discussion, I may have a quick result from DoS. Let's see even though I strongly doubt it.

My embassy showed to send my NoS on December 18 but nothing appeared on the system.

May all of us get waived and approved real soon.

[SG_J1 4]

1 hour ago, vincee said:

@BuseAny update? @SG_J1 Did they respond to your email? 

No answer yet. I will wait until first week of February and if I have nothing by then I will push hard for expedited processing trying to leverage my research. Its only cancer not covid but fairly significant so I will give it a shot.

[mango11 4]

Hi all, 

I'm currently getting my documents ready and will try to send it out in a day or two.

 

One quick question about the instructions:

"Check that the exchange visitor's case number and country/region of last residence is written on any documentation submitted"

 

Do we write it on every single sheet of paper if it's not written? For example, the second page of the ds3035?

[Oriol 4]

Thank you all for your recent updates.

@mango11, all I can say is that I am at the stage in which all my documents, including No Objection Statement, show up as "received" in the Department of State's tracking page. I did write the country and case number on the first page of every document I sent, but not on every single page of every document. On the DS3035 I simply filled it electronically and did not add a handwritten country+case on every page. i hope this helps!

[SG_J1 4]

OMG IT FINALLY HAPPENED!!!! OMG I WANT TO CRY!!!!! 😭 

 

[Oriol 4]

@SG_J1, Congratulations, I'm so happy for you! Pray for the rest of us...

[SG_J1 4]

19 minutes ago, SG_J1 said:

OMG IT FINALLY HAPPENED!!!! OMG I WANT TO CRY!!!!! 😭 

 

Thank you all SO much for the information and emotional support here!! This process still remains obscure to me but my main takeaways after OBSESSING about it for months are:

- NOS shows up in the system late. My embassy send the NOS per email so I know the exact date that the DoS received it. However, it takes on average 4-8 weeks for the NOS to register in the system. During this time the DoS maintains it has not received the NOS. I had my embassy resend the NOS 4 times! However, it still took 2 months. I suspect this might be some delay tactic by the DoS to deal with the flood of applications but I am just guessing.

- After looking through this forum I am pretty sure that processing time starts accumulating only after the NOS shows up in the system. You should start counting processing time from the moment all the documents including NOS show up in the online system.

- Even though the DoS maintains it processes the applications in order of receipt that is definitely not true. The most important factor seems to be the perceived urgency of the application. Looking through this forum it appears that if your DS2019 is still valid for more than a year or it has expired and you are outside of the USA you have to wait the longest. At the moment the wait time for those applications appears to be 3-4 Months after the NOS shows up in the system. If your DS2019 is about to expire it CAN STILL take long (saw people with 3 Months) but often it only takes 1-6 Weeks after the NOS shows up.

- Ways to expedite the process appear to be Covid research if combined with a letter from your PI or a pending H1b application.

 

I hope my experience will help you to some extend deal with this truly arduous process...

Edited January 22, 2021 by SG_J1

[vincee 2]

Finally, It is all over. I really thank you Jesus Christ! I also thank you all here in this forum. You guys are the best. Cheers and Good luck!!! Congratulations @SG_J1

[SG_J1 4]

22 minutes ago, vincee said:

Finally, It is all over. I really thank you Jesus Christ! I also thank you all here in this forum. You guys are the best. Cheers and Good luck!!! Congratulations @SG_J1

Congratulations Vincee!!!!!!