Waivers, Statements of No Objection
Many J-1 visa holders are subject to a two-year home residency requirement. It means that on completion of their exchange program they must return to their home country and remain there for at least two years. before they are eligible to apply for a green card or change of status (for example H-1 B visa).
The reason for this is that many J-1 visa programs are set up and financed by by foreign governments for the specific purpose of getting US training for their citizens. The foreign governments hope that those who are trained will eventually return and use their new skills to benefit their homeland. Some of the programs are financed by the US government with the same purpose.
Therefore, the US makes every effort to see that J-1 exchange visitors fulfill the home residency requirements. It is only with with the consent of the governments of the country of the visitor that this requirement can be waived, i.e. he can get a waiver. This consent is declared in a Statement of No Objection, prepared by his country’s Embassy in Washington, DC, and sent to the US Department of State which after considering the case informs directly the applicant.
It usually takes one week for the Embassy of Bulgaria in Washington, DC to prepare the Statement. The time required for the processing of the application by the US Department of State is 60-90 days.
The fee the Embassy charges is $ 95, payable with money order, cashier’s check or cash. Personal checks are not accepted.
Please remember that the Statement of No Objection is only a part of the waiver procedure. The whole procedure is described in “Waiver of the J Visa Two-Year Foreign Residence Requirement, 212(e)” of the US Sate Department.
It is very important for the applicant to provide the Embassy with his Case File No.
You can obtain the current status of your application processing with the US State Department by telephoning: (202) 663-1600 You must have your full Case No. in order to obtain the status of you case trough this telephone number.
Statement of No Objection
За да Ви бъде издаден т.нар. Statement of No Objection e необходимо да попълните специална бланка (молба Molba Statement of No Objection и формулят Form).
Таксата за издаване на Letter of No Objection e $95 (плаща се с money order, cashier’s check или cash. Персонални чекове не се приемат ). Освен бланката и таксата, следва да ни изпратите и копие от първата страница на писмото от Държавния департамент, което ще получите в отговор на молбата Ви за освобождаване от задължението за двегодишен престой извън САЩ Посолството изпраща Statement of No Objection до Държавния департамент на САЩ. 2-3 седмици след това ще получите писмо-потвърждение от Държавния департамент, че е постъпило при тях Statement of No Objection от българското посолство. В писмото на Държавния департамент ще бъде указан срокът, в който ще Ви бъде даден отговор на молбата.