r/J1waiver

Does anyone know how long it takes after filing a writ of mandamus against the USCIS for delaying my immigration cases (I 612, I 765)? I’m currently unemployed due to delay in issuing my EAD

I applied for waiver NOS category and DOS Received the NOS from embassy on 25 April. After that no update on portal. Anyone has been in same scenario? When can I expect the next move? US Government funding was involved in my case so sponsor views are required too.

Timeline:
02/02/2026 – DoS received application
04/21/2026 – Favorable Recommendation sent to USCIS
04/21/2026 – USCIS receipt received
Early June 2026 – Senator inquiry submitted (WV)
07/01/2026 – USCIS approval !!!!

They’re from one of the 39 affected countries (Caribbean) Her upcoming program did provide access to an immigration attorney which made everything so much less stressful with all the changes in executive orders and USCIS practices. They will be filing for the H-1B after the holiday weekend.

Sharing here cause I’ve been lurking since last year and am grateful for the OPs and comments that have been useful and encouraging and I could in turn share these with my friend.

Hi everyone, I bring you the good news that my J1 waiver has finally been approved by USCIS.

TIMELINE:

03/11/2026--Application received by DoS

05/02/2026-FR sent by DoS

06/22/2026--USCIS approval

NATIONALITY: One of the 75 countries.

Now my university can move ahead with my H1B petition. I also submitted my DIY EB2-NIW petition. Fingers crossed 🤞.

I want to thank this kind community for all inputs I received on my endless questions🤣🤣🤣🤣. For anyone on the journey, I wish you the very best. Good luck, guys.

Any Jamaican teacher got their waiver approved recently?

Got DOS approval May 29 and nothing since…

Any updates with SCRC waiver approvals? Has anyone got their waiver approved? If yes please mention the timeline

Hi everyone,

I wanted to share my situation to see if anyone has any insight or experience with something similar.

My attorney was preparing to file an HHS waiver, but before it could be submitted, my hospital lost its Healthcare Shortage Area designation. Needless to say, I was devastated.

Fortunately, my employer has agreed to pay the $100,000 fee, and we’ve now filed an H-1B petition with premium processing. Since I’m a Canadian citizen, I can technically work without a waiver for a limited period (about 2–3 years). However, because H-1B status has a six-year maximum, I’m trying to preserve enough H-1B time for the three years I’ll hopefully need once I eventually obtain a waiver.

The biggest issue is that I still need to secure a J-1 waiver. Unfortunately, there aren’t any other job opportunities in my area. My current plan is to ask my attorney to apply for an Illinois Conrad 30 waiver this fall through one of the 10 flex slots available for physicians working at non-underserved hospitals.

Does anyone have any experience with the Illinois flex spots or know how competitive they are? Any information, advice, or personal experiences would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you all in advance!

Hi, I’m currently a PGY-2 resident and will be starting PGY-3 tomorrow. I’m planning to pursue a hospitalist position through a J-1 waiver.

Would anyone please mind sharing when I should start looking for jobs? Also, how early should I sign a contract to allow enough time for the entire J-1 waiver process?

Thank you so much in advance. I really appreciate your guidance!

Hi all. I sent my waiver application packet to DOS and the status shows it was received on April 17th. My embassy sent the No Objection Statement a few days later but until now, it doesn’t show as received on the status.
Has anyone experienced this before? Do they update NOS received or do they do the processing then update it? I’m thinking about asking them but I wonder if it’ll jeopardize my application. But then I may be waiting and they never received my NOS. Any advise?

I am currently a PGY 5 cardiology fellow on a J1 visa in Illinois. I am planning on doing general cardiology and will need a J1 waiver. I am new to this process. How early should I start looking for jobs? Which states are easy to get in to? How competitive is west coast (CA, WA)?

Hello Colleagues.

Thought sharing timeline might be helpful for people, as i searched a lot on reddit and facebook looking for tiemlines to give myself some relief and what to expect, as this process is very unpredictable and exhausting.

NH Hospitalist job:

11/14/2025: application submitted to NH DOH.

01/14/2026: approved by DOH and forwarded to DOS.

04/02/2026: approved by DOS.

04/12/2026: approved by USCIS.

05/20/2026: H1b premium processing submitted.

06/02/2026: RFE regarding hospital's association with university.

06/12/2026: response to RFE received by USCIS.

06/22/2026: h1b approved for change to status in US.

Hope this helps and help someone with stressful times.

Physician from 39 countries (African). Waiver forwarded from DOS to USCIS on 6/8. Receipt notice on 6/9. Received at another office on 6/10. Approved today 6/25. No lawsuits. Not a dual citizen. Praying good news for us all soon!

I am from one of the 39 countries on the ban list and here is my timeline.

DOS received March 21
HHS recommendation on March 31
DOS approval on May 21
USCIS approval on June 25

This month makes 10 months add waiting on my letter from Jamaica and its just sad when you reach out they don't even respond... anyone with any recent updates?

Ive applied for physician J Conrad waiver, DOS sent FR last month and USCiS has been sleeping since then. The timelines I’ve seen for this specific approval are absurd: I know a friend who got the approval in 2 days. Yes 2 days. And there is a friend who has been waiting for 5 months and still no approval. Both are same state, same country of origin, not banned, same Conrads. I mean cmon, make it make some sense!

Background - Physician from Pakistan who is applying for a J1 wavier (HHS)
DOS FR 6/12/2026
i797 notice dated 6/13

Case tracker shows that Case Was Received At Another USCIS Office

Whats the next step here and how long should the whole process take. Still not filed for the H1B as my DS2019 has an extension through Nov 2026,.

We (host family in USA) are planning a family cruise and it would be when our Aupair is on their 2nd year. Our Aupair is from South Africa . Have any of your 2nd year aupairs had any issues with immigration upon return from cruise? Would it be safer for them to just stay back given the current climate? Countries we would port: Mexico, puerto Rico, Saint marteen, Martinique, st kitts.