For anyone look to see the J1 waiver (HHS) approval timeline:
Submitted: mid Jan 2026
HHS approval: June 1
DOS approval: June 11
USCIS receipt date: June 12
Transferred to another office: June 15 (SRC)
H1b premium processing filed: July 20
USCIS waiver approval: Aug 7
H1b approval: same day, Aug 7
Hoping for everyone who is waiting to get your approval soon!
Hi- if you are waiting for your USCIS approval- what was the date of your USCIS receipt?
If you’re waiting for Uscis approval- when did you receive your DOS approval?
For those who have received DOS approval -
How long did it take for you to receive your USCIS receipt number and wh
Hi everyone! I’m kind of shocked at how fast DOS has been but my DOS just got approved
HHS submitted: Jan 21
DOS received: Feb 5
HHS approved: June 1
DOS approved: June 11
Now we wait for USCIS!
Hi everyone! Trying to get an understanding of how many folks are waiting for their DOS approval after receiving a HHS recommendation. Please share what month you received your HHS recommendation so we can get an idea of where the pending DOS cases are. Please vote on the months so we can actually see the spread
I just got an email from my attorney that my HHS has approved my waiver and forwarded the recommendation to DOS! 🎉 today was a particularly hard day emotionally - felt my anxiety spiraling- but I can finally breathe a little. Hoping for all everyone to hear back as soon as possible!
HHS filed: Jan 21 2026
DOS “recived” on portal: Feb 9 2026
HHS approval: June 2 2026
A bunch of approvals came through recently- so wanted to redo a poll this week
Hi! I’m wondering if calling OGA on 202-260-0399 would help to understand what is happening with the HHS applications. Anyone had any luck this week in getting through to them? I also haven’t heard back from 212ewaivers email from DOS in a while.
Hi- for those that are waiting for pending approvals from December and January- when are your start dates? My HHS was submitted January 21 2026 and DOS received February 9th. My start date is July 1st.