J1 Hardship Waiver 2021-2022 Timeline

[Wyboxcx 49]

Just now, Magnet said:

It took them 6 months to send me the RFE since initial application. I responded to the RFE about a month ago and it’s still processing. They usually take 2 months to process the RFE reaponse.

Hopefully, they forward it to DOS soon, and then the real wait begins. My case has been with USCIS for almost 7 months now and I have received nothing from them, no RFE and they haven't forwarded it to DOS either. It's getting depressing. 

[Hardship_waiver 54]

[Hardship_waiver 54]

No doubt these are genuine issues in the waiver cases. Issues raised in June and Nov 2022.

[Wyboxcx 49]

3 hours ago, Hardship_waiver said:

No doubt these are genuine issues in the waiver cases. Issues raised in June and Nov 2022.

Interesting. Where is this from??

[Hardship_waiver 54]

2 hours ago, Freidrichm said:

Interesting. Where is this from??

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/News/visas-news.html

[DrIdaddoq 22]

New recommendation on a case (not mine) from January 2022. While most of the rest pending from August, September and October 2021. Definitely they're not going chronologically. 

[Hanijani 8]

On 12/2/2022 at 4:18 PM, DrIdaddoq said:

New recommendation on a case (not mine) from January 2022. While most of the rest pending from August, September and October 2021. Definitely they're not going chronologically. 

What could be the reason of processing randomly? 

[Hardship_waiver 54]

21 hours ago, Hanijani said:

What could be the reason of processing randomly? 

Expedite request approval seems the only way.

[ErinK 35]

9 minutes ago, Hardship_waiver said:

Expedite request approval seems the only way.

There was FR case in this forum from March 2022 that wasn't expedited. I don't think they expedite anyone's case tbh. 

[PeterW 17]

2 hours ago, ErinK said:

There was FR case in this forum from March 2022 that wasn't expedited. I don't think they expedite anyone's case tbh. 

I heard from somebody. Which country you are from has big impact on the time. 

[Hardship_waiver 54]

17 minutes ago, PeterW said:

I heard from somebody. Which country you are from has big impact on the time. 

Which continents are slowest/fastest? I feel Europe is fastest.

[PeterW 17]

33 minutes ago, Hardship_waiver said:

Which continents are slowest/fastest? I feel Europe is fastest.

Maybe.  I feel desperate some cases have stayed 15 months in DOS. 

[DrIdaddoq 22]

3 hours ago, PeterW said:

Maybe.  I feel desperate some cases have stayed 15 months in DOS. 

Right there with you at 15 months in 4 days 😢 my lawyer says cases averaging at 17-24 months at DoS now. Like, what’s the point at this rate? This is almost then making it not a feasible way to try to get a hardship waiver without actually removing it. 

[PeterW 17]

1 hour ago, DrIdaddoq said:

Right there with you at 15 months in 4 days 😢 my lawyer says cases averaging at 17-24 months at DoS now. Like, what’s the point at this rate? This is almost then making it not a feasible way to try to get a hardship waiver without actually removing it. 

It seems that a lot of hardship applicants have to meet real hardship at the end. My J will expire this month. So disappointed.

[ErinK 35]

2 hours ago, DrIdaddoq said:

Right there with you at 15 months in 4 days 😢 my lawyer says cases averaging at 17-24 months at DoS now. Like, what’s the point at this rate? This is almost then making it not a feasible way to try to get a hardship waiver without actually removing it. 

Maybe that's the point? They want to make the process so long that no one applies!