Note: To download documents, please visit:
https://sites.google.com/site/applyingj1waverfromindia/
Many
Indian Ph.D holders (and also others) visit USA on J1 VISA to pursue their
postdoctoral research. Usually these visitors (J-1) are subject to a two-year
home-country physical presence requirement which require them to return to
respective home country for at least two years at the end of the exchange
visitor program. This is also known as the foreign residence requirement under
U.S. law, Immigration and Nationality Act, Section 212(e). Following link is
usefull to check whether if you are subjected to this rule:
Once
J1 visitor return to India, and if he/she wish to visit USA again (for work), he/she
have to apply for J1 VISA waiver. The procedure for applying “J1 waiver” has
been well described to those people who apply for J1 waiver from USA. But
procedure for applying “J1 waiver from India” has not been well described. I personally went through this situation (I
am from Karnataka, India). So I decided to document all the steps involved in
the process. Purpose of this website is to give discrete details on various
steps involved in applying J1 waiver from India. If you follow the procedure described below, I
am sure you will get your J1 waiver without much delay.
Click here to download forms;
https://sites.google.com/site/applyingj1waverfromindia/system/app/pages/search?scope=search-site&q=NORI
The most important precaution!
Make
sure that address in your passport is same as your current address (most of the
time it is not, because you got your passport when you are doing your Ph.D at
university and 90% of the case it’s not
your home town ). If address is not
same, I strongly recommend you to make new passport with your current address. This
is a key step in successes of obtaining J1 waiver from India. This step speed up J1 waiver procedure
through bypassing repeated police enquiry.
Following steps are involved in applying J1
waiver from India (the current example is based on apply J1 waiver from
Karnataka).
Step 1: Obtaining NOC from three offices
Go
ahead and notarize 4 to 5 sets of the attached document “NORI Affidavit updated” and “Biodata-updated”
on 100 rupee stamp paper (to download documents, please visit: https://sites.google.com/site/applyingj1waverfromindia/). In addition to new passport number, make sure to
enter Old passport number on which you visited to USA.
Print
the attached document 1, 2 and 3. Then send the each set to following office
address (with registered post, make sure to keep the tracking number).
Office 1 : The Under Secretary, Home Department (Passport &
Foreigners), Government of Karnataka, Vidhanasoudha, Dr. Ambedkar Veedhi,
BANGALORE – 560 001.
Office 2: The Passport Officer, Regional Passport Office, 8th Block, 80
Feet Road, Koramangala, BANGALORE – 560 095.
Office 3: Ministry of Human Resource Development, Department of
higher Education, External Scholarship Division, 2nd Floor, Wing-6, West
Block-1, R.K. Puram, Delhi-110 066.
When you send above
documents to request NOC, make sure that you to stay in your current address.
Because, you may receive call from police station for the enquiry (if you make
new passport you will not receive call). Usually within one to two months you
will receive all three NOCs from respective office. If not, keep tracking them
through phone and email.
Step 2: Filling online DS3035
application and sending three NOC and third party barcode packet for J1 waiver
Then, fill the DS-3035
document from following link:
(go to Complete an online
application for a J-1 waiver
recommendation.)
Print the PDF file and arrange two
application packets as follows and send to respective addresses:
Application packet 1
1) Original NOC from a) Regional passport
office, Bangalore, Karnataka, b) State Home Department, Karnataka, and c)
Ministry of Human Resource, New Delhi, India.
2) Original
Notarized affidavit and Biodata on Rs 100 electronic bond paper (use one from
5 sets prepared in step 1).
3) Copy of Third Party Bar Code page from US state Department containing
Waiver Review Case File number (this is present at the end of the DS-3035 PDF
file generated from online filling).
4) Copies of Indian Passport (New and old), US
VISA stamp on passport and DS2019
forms (all).
Send this application packet to: Consular
section, CPV Division, Ministry of External Affairs,
Patiala House Annexe, Tilak
Marg, New Delhi-110001.
5) Cover letter (attached document 4)
Application packet 2
1. From DS-3035 PDF file
print “Waiver Review Division Barcode Page” (on second page).
2. From DS-3035 PDF file print “J-1 VISA WAIVER
RECOMMENDATION APPLICATION” including “supplementary
applicant information pages”
3. Copies of all (including
your spouse and kids) DS-2019 forms (on which you visited to USA) and old and
new passport copies.
4. Application fee of
$120 PER J-1 APPLICANT (no fee for J2
applicants). Please send a cashier's check or money order in U.S.currency drawn
on a U.S. bank, made payable to THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE. Include your
name, date and place of birth on whatever form of payment you submit.
5. Two self-addressed (see
precaution below) , USA stamp envelopes.
Send
this application packet 2 to: U.S. Department of State, Waiver Review
Division, P.O. Box 952137, St. Louis, MO 63195-2137
Precaution: If you have friend in USA, I strongly recommend you to take
his help. Send all your document to him/her bye e-mail and ask them to take
$120 cashier's check or money. Also tell them to write his/her address on self-addressed envelope and post to application
packet to following address:
After completing step 2, within a month you will receive copy of “NORI recommendation letter” from Consular
section, India, who will then transfer your “NORI recommendation letter” to US Embassy in New Delhi, India. Then
US Embassy in New Delhi, India will transfer your “NORI recommendation letter” U.S. Department of State, Waiver Review
Division.
When “U.S. Department of State,
Waiver Review Division” receive NORI
letter from respective people, they will update the status online. You can
check the status of your application online using your case number (where you
generated DS-3035).
Then “U.S. Department of State,
Waiver Review Division” will recommend your case to United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) for the
J1 waiver (you/your friend will also receive same letter by mail,
self-addressed envelope). All this process depends on “how soon” Consular
section of India send your NORI to US Embassy in New Delhi. So, if you do not
get any response after month, get in touch with consular section of India by e
mail.
When your case reaches to USCIS, you will receive case number for your
application. They usually take 3-4 weeks to grant J1 waiver. You (or your
friend) will receive document by mail stating that you have been waived from
“two year home country stay”. The whole process, that is Step 1 and Step 2,
usually take minimum 4 months. In my case it took bit longer (6 months). Hope
above information is useful. Good luck!
Click here to download forms;
https://sites.google.com/site/applyingj1waverfromindia/system/app/pages/search?scope=search-site&q=NORI