r/J1waiver

Who are you getting insurance with in Pa?

You don’t have to share the details, just a yes/no is fine 🙂.

Also, I’m curious to know how often you guys send follow up emails to the DOS..

Also, is it normal for the website to be down for this long?

Hope everyone is ok despite the delays.

Hey Guys,

Quick question for anyone who’s navigated this:

I applied for a Conrad 30 spot in a busy state and got denied, so I pivoted to fellowship and luckily matched somewhere.

The issue: my fellowship start date is 08/01/26, but my current DS-2019 expires 06/30/26. This is the end of my 6th year, and the fellowship would put me into year 7 on J1.

I know legally I can stay for 30 days after my J1 expires (grace period), but that still leaves a gap before my 08/01 start date.

I’ve been told by ECFMG that my options are either:

1. Get the new program to adjust my contract start date, or

2. Ask my current program to extend my completion date

Has anyone been through this gap situation before? Would really appreciate hearing how you handled it.

Thanks in advance!

Should I request for an advisory opinion? I applied for NOS and I'm still waiting to hear back from my home country. I applied in January and they said it could take a year

Sharing my husband’s J-1 waiver (No Objection Statement) timeline because this was insanely fast. (Among 75 countries + Government funding from home country + Not Fulbright)

Timeline:

• March 18: Package delivered
• April 10: DOS portal updated to “Received”
• May 15 – 10:54 AM: Embassy sent NOS
• May 15 – 11:57 AM: DOS sent favorable recommendation via email

No RFE — used I-140 approval (dependent) as supporting document.

Yes, literally about 1 hour after DOS received the NOS.

Did not expect it to move this fast at all. Hope this helps anyone waiting!

For reference, advisory opinion timeline was also quick: sent around March 12 → follow-up April 20 → got result April 21.

Hi all,

I submitted J-1 waiver (NOS) in March and all documents including NOS have been received, and waiting for the DOS FR. I have seen people are getting RFE for future visa as below.

"To process your application, please clarify which visa you are seeking (outside of the waiver you are applying for with Department of State) and/or has your current employer offered to sponsor you. Please provide documentation confirming the necessary information requested."

link 1 link 2

Although I didn't get an RFE yet, and I don't have H1B sponsorship but I applied I-140 NIW which is pending. Anyone successfully received FR with/without RFE with I-140 pending? I was debating if I should email them with I140 receipt notice.

Thank you very much!

Is this the one everybody is experiencing right now? I am hoping to hear some updates this week (all of my documents were submitted on 3/1/2026, and my friend who submitted a week before received FR from DOS last week), but this is so frustrating lol.

Hi all,

I would like to share my AO timeline which may be helpful for you.

1/19/26: Sent AO request and received an automatic reply saying it can take 6-8 weeks. (status no update)

Document received dated 2/9/26 (status updated around 2/15/26 but cannot recall exact date)

3/16/26: Sent inquiry as 8 weeks past from 1/19/26, received reply saying:

"Thank you for your request for an advisory opinion received on February 9, 2026. Due to high peak time, we will process this request in the order received. Please allow 6 to 8 weeks for processing."

3/25/26 - received email and status updated 2-3 days later (subject)

EDIT: for clarification, replaced screenshot

https://preview.redd.it/i9yxo21rxl1h1.png?width=1996&format=png&auto=webp&s=12f175c80fb787a85d809b774420abc01b5b3bea

Hello,

I sent my request for Advisory opinion on April and it shows as decision pending and documents received. How long did it take for your cases to received an answer? Did they update the page before or after sending the email?

Has anyone tried to use the site today to check their status? I’ve tried both on the phone and laptop and was given error on the page after typing in the case number.

Hey all, my Conrad 30 application was picked up by the state this year but I’m still waiting on DOS approval (close to 8 weeks now). My fellowship and J1 status end on 6/30 but my start date would be 8/1. I assume my lawyers will have my H1B petition start date as 8/1 as well. That’s more than a 30 day gap but less than 90 days. I’m a bit confused whether this would be okay or should I move my start date by a day or two so that the gap between J1 and H1B is less than 30 days.

I’ve read unclear guidelines online so if anyone has been through a similar situation or knows better than me, I’d appreciate their response. I’ve of course written to my lawyers already but they’re AWOL.

Anyone recently get their USCIS approval after a J-1 hardship waiver favorable recommendation from DOS?

My DOS favorable recommendation was issued on April 3, 2026, and I still haven’t heard back from USCIS. It’s been about 6 weeks now and honestly getting pretty stressful because my job start timeline depends on this.

I’m planning to apply for fellowship this upcoming cycle, but I’m also trying to understand the backup plan if I don’t match and need to pursue a hospitalist position with a J-1 Conrad 30 waiver.
If I wait until fellowship Match results before applying to waiver jobs, do I still have reasonable options available, or do most Conrad 30 positions fill by then?

Also, are there certain states that tend to fill their Conrad 30 spots earlier than others, especially for hospitalist positions?

Would appreciate hearing about your experiences/timelines.

Hello!

Does anyone have any experience filing for CR-1 (I-130, specifically) while J1 (persecution) waiver is being processed? Both are supposed to take about 18-24 months. Hoping to get moving on CR-1 and wondering if I-130 form will get denied since the waiver isn’t approved at the time of application.

Thanks!

I would want to know anyone who got FR from DoS for NOS waiver and whose case was finally approved by USCIS from the 39 banned counties.

Hello, I received request for additional documents from J1 AO. Can anyone share how much time it took for them to receive decision after submitting such documents?