Lebanon J1 NOS Waiver Summary

The J1 Waiver Process can be somewhat confusing. This article will summarize the process, and mention a few items that may cause issues.
First, the J1 Waiver Process can be broken into 3 main parts:
- DS-3035, a waiver request filing with the Department of State Waiver Review Division
- No Objection Statement (NOS) Request from the foreign government
- I-612 Processing from USCIS
Second, the MOST important part of the waiver is the "Foreign Government's involvement"
Why? If the foreign government OBJECTS, the waiver will 100% fail. What does the Government of Lebanon Require?
- Mailing 1 packet/request to the Lebanon Embassy in the DC, address is as follows: Embassy of Lebanon, Attention: NOL Department, 2560 28th St. NW, Washington, DC 20008. The Packet MUST contain:
- $125 money order payable to the: Embassy of Lebanon.
- 2 addressed stamped envelopes:
- One envelope is a return envelope to the requestor or their attorney
- One envelope is for a physical copy of the No Objection Statement to be mailed to the DOS: Waiver Review Division, US Department of State, CA/VO/DO/W, SA-17, 11th Floor ,Washington, DC 20522-1711
- [Note: in 2024, the DOS mainly recieves the NOS by email from the foreign embassy. The email is an instant transfer, whereas the mailed notice used to take weeks or months to process at the DOS]
- A Cover Letter for the Embassy to include:
- Reason for the request
- Contact information
- Exact date of arrival on the J-1 Visa and the port of entry
- Residential Address History in the United States
- Statement from you explaining whether your education or J Program in the United States is governmentally or privately financed
- Confirmation that relevant documentation and payment are enclosed
- DS-3035 Third-party Barcode Page (The Embassy of Lebanon would be the 3rd party in the DS-3035 Process)
- Either:
- A copy of the J1 degree from Lebanese institution (Most Common), OR
- A letter from the institution from which J1 graduated in Lebanon stating that the J1 are under no financial obligation to that institution
- A notarized statement (Signed before a US Notary) from the J1 Visa Holder stating that the J1 are under no financial obligation to any private or public institution in Lebanon.
- Copy of the Lebanese passport biographic page
- Copy of any US Visa, especially any and all J1 Visas
- Copy of the I-94 and travel history from the CBP Website
Third, the DS-3035 must be correctly completed
The DS-3035 must be completed correctly, as it directly affects the determination of eligibility and whether the overall request can even be approved.
The biggest pitfall is either writing an inconsistent statement of reason or writing too much of a statement that the underlying purpose for the waiver is lost. A deeper dive into the reason statement can be seen here: https://www.fickeymartinezlaw.com/j1-waiver-ds-3035-statement-of-reason-template-and-explanation
The next biggest pitfall is NOT including EVERY DS-2019. More info found here: https://www.fickeymartinezlaw.com/j1-ds-3035-topic-of-missing-a-ds-2019-for-the-waiver-filing
Fourth, the I-612 process with USCIS
Once all of the DOS processing and Lebanon processing is completed, the file is packaged up and submitted to USCIS for final process. This process is called the I-612 waiver process. It is free, happens automatically, and normally processes in 1-4 months.
USCIS will provide a Receipt Notice, and more importantly, an Approval Notice (assuming Lebanon and DOS did not object and provided a "favorable recommendation," respectively).
Conclusion:
If you have questions or need assistance with the J1 Waiver Process, please schedule a consultation with our immigration attorney.
Visit our J1 Waiver Page for more relevant blogs regarding the J1 Waiver Process:
https://www.fickeymartinezlaw.com/practice-areas/j1-visa-waiver
Here are 2 Lebanon Items that are frequently overlooked:
Lebanese Birth Certificate: https://www.fickeymartinezlaw.com/lebanese-birth-certificate-wathikat-welada-and-us-immigration
Credentialing Foreign Education: https://www.fickeymartinezlaw.com/employment-immigration/credential-evaluation-reports-for-immigration-purposes
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