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A J-1 Hardship waiver success story for Client from Venezuela

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I-612 Approval Notice (Letter of approval) - The Ranchod Law Group, Sacramento CA

I-612 Letter of Approval (Form I-797, Notice of Action)

Timeline of this J-1 Waiver

  • Date the I-612 Application to wave the foreign residence requirements was filed: March 2, 2020
  • Department of State received I-613 from USCIS on May 13, 2020
  • A favorable recommendation was issued by the Department of State on September 23, 2020
  • USCIS issued a letter of approval for this I-612 application to wave foreign residence requirements on September 29, 2020

J-1 Hardship Waiver Approval for Venezuelan Client

This is another success story for a Client from Venezuela who approached The Ranchod Law Group seeking advice on how to successfully tackle his situation. The Client, on a J-1 Visa, spoke to the immigration attorneys at our offices and explained his needs and objectives which are typical to many professionals on a J-1 Visa.

The need to Waive the Two Year Foreign Residence Requirement

During a preliminary brief, we answered all the Client’s questions like:

  1. Does the home-country physical presence requirement apply to me?
  2. Which are the implications of this requirement?
  3. Which is the exact procedure and how should an I-612 application be handled considering the implications and the costs?

Every J-1 Waiver case is unique and requires close consideration of many elements to identify situations and scenarios which can constitute grounds to request a waiver. Here at the Ranchod Law Group, we build your case based on your personal situation and circumstances.

How we won this case

The Immigration attorneys at our practice studied the brief and identified circumstances and facts which could be used to argue in favor of a waiver of the foreign residence requirements. A very important factor was the health of the Client’s American child. During the interview, we discovered that the Client’s child was receiving developmental therapy. This is a factor we could use to argue exceptional hardship to the client’s American child because this kind of treatment is not readily available in Venezuela. We also researched and argued at length the exceptional hardship inherent in the country’s conditions in general. The facts we presented were enough for the Department of State to issue a favorable recommendation in September of this year, and for USCIS to issue a letter of approval for this I-612 application.

J-1 Waiver Hardship Approval for Client from Jordan with Form I-612 letter of Approval

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I-612 Letter of approval: Application to waive foreign residence requirement.

J-1 Hardship Waiver Letter of Approval (I-612 Application)

J-1 Hardship Waiver Approval for Doctor from Jordan

Date we filed Form I-612 for this Client: April 1, 2019.

– Department of State received Form I-612 from USCIS on December 09, 2019.

– The Department of State issued a favorable recommendation with I-612 Letter of Approval on September 29, 2020.

A brief description of the I-612 process and

Form I-612 is an application seeking to obtain a waiver to waive The Foreign Residence Requirement. Section 212(e) specifies The Foreign Residence Requirement of the Immigration and Nationality Act. Holders of a J-1 Visa or a J-2 visa may apply for a waiver to waive The Foreign Residence Requirement. Family members of J1 and J-2 Visa holders may also apply using Form I-612.

Individuals with a J-1 and J-2 Visa who are nonimmigrants may complete this application. Form I-612 is a request to waive the two-year foreign residence requirement. The foreign residence requirement applies to all exchange visitors, who are subject to the requirement mentioned above if:

  1. They participated in a foreign exchange program;
  2. An agency of the U.S. Government (or the government of their country of citizenship or nationality or last foreign residence) financed their participation;
  3. The U.S. designated the country as clearly requiring their specialized knowledge or skill. Designation includes not only country of citizenship but also nationality or foreign residence;
  4. The Secretary of State must have designated the country. Designation must happen before admittance as an exchange visitor or acquiring such status after admission;
  5. They gained admission as an exchange visitor or acquired such status after admission on or after January 10, 1977;
  6. As an exchange visitor, they participated in graduate medical education or training.

This J-1 Hardship Waiver Success Story

The Client of this success story by The Ranchod Law Group contacted our practice seeking advice on her/his particular situation. Our team of Immigration attorneys in Sacramento worked with the Client to document the case. We used our proprietary process to create supporting documentation for Form I-612.

Our Client married a U.S. Citizen with a history of mental health issues. We described two distinct scenarios and explained how both would exacerbate pre-existing medical conditions.

The history of mental health issues would subject the spouse to exceptional hardship

The case we presented highlighted how this would undoubtedly occur should she/he accompany the Client to Jordan. On the other hand, remaining in the U.S. without the Client would also cause exceptional hardship. The spouse, having to stay alone in the U.S., was another scenario that would have caused exceptional hardship.

Also, we described and documented how the Client’s spouse is financially dependent on the Client.

Finally, we went through a thorough analysis of the country conditions in Jordan. Our brief identified how permanence in that country would impose exceptional hardship on the American spouse for two years.

I-612 Hardship Waiver Letter of Approval & Success Story

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J-1 Hardship Waiver Letter of Approval (Government Funding, Dominican Republic)




J-1 Hardship Waiver Approved with Government Funding from the Dominican Republic

  • Case filed: June 30, 2019
  • Case approved: June 18, 2020

The Facts for this I-612 Success Story and Approval

  • This Client entered the U.S. on a J-1 Visa with a two year home residency requirement.
  • Client only complied with his work program for a few months and did not leave the U.S.
  • Client later married a U.S. citizen.
  • Client’s U.S. citizen spouse went to a psychologist and we argued exceptional emotional hardship.
  • Client’s U.S. citizen spouse had previously suffered a miscarriage.
  • Client’s U.S. citizen spouse has family and religious ties to the U.S.
  • Client’s family member was a victim of horrific violence in his home country.

The Ranchod Law Group Immigration Attorneys also argued exceptional financial hardship as the couple was working to pay off debt.

These cases are not easy to win but we did the most that we could with the available evidence and we are so happy clients will be able to continue their lives together in the U.S.

J-1 Hardship Waiver Letter of Approval and Success Story (Approval Date 06/24/2020)

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J-1 Hardship Waiver Letter of Approval (Approval date. 06/24/2020)




Read our Success Stories, See other Letters of Approval

  • Filed: 01/30/2019
  • Form I-613 Sent by USCIS to DOS on 01/06/2020
  • DOS Favorable recommendation on: 06/23/2020
  • USCIS Approval: 06/24/2020

At the time The Ranchod Law Group applied for this exceptional hardship waiver, the client had been in the United States for six years. He has two children born in the U.S.

The Ranchod Law Group argued that one child had an established medical history of respiratory distress and Egypt is notorious for its history of very poor air quality. We also argued that compounding the issue of air quality in Egypt is the lack of adequate medical care.

Also, the children spoke and were exclusively spoken to in English. As a consequence, the relocation of the family would result in exceptional educational and social hardship for the children.

We also argued that because of his low prospective salary in Egypt client wouldn’t be able to provide adequate support for his children abroad. Based on all these factors we were able to build, document, and argue a successful case for the client.

J-1 Waiver Success Story and Approved Notice for Client from Uzbekistan

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Hi this is Kaushik Ranchod from the Ranchod Law Group welcome to our immigration show! Today we’re going to talk about a J-1 Waiver success story, where the client is from Uzbekistan. Here we were able to prove Exceptional Hardship and get the case of proof by demonstrating Exceptional Hardship to the USCIS because:

  1. They have two US citizen children and if the children were separated for their parents of course would be Exceptional Hardship. Even if they went with one parent to Uzbekistan and one parent would remain in the United States, there would be Exceptional Hardship due to the separation and also because of the dangerous country conditions as well.
  2. And then of course there would be financial Hardship. We were able to also demonstrate financial Hardship because of childcare issues. Also the US citizen is also helping provide support for his parents so although the parents are not a direct form or a direct qualifying relative for the J-1 Waiver that still can be used as totality-of-the-circumstances demonstrating a form of Exceptional Hardship and we’re also able to show that if both of them went to Uzbekistan there would also be Exceptional Hardship as well.

So I hope this video helped you if you have questions you can reach us at (916) 613-3553 we are here to help you and we look forward to discussing whether or not your case qualifies for an Exceptional Hardship J-1 Waiver. Thank you have an amazing day!

J-1 Visa Success Story: Egyptian national, Form I-612 Waiver Approval

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  • Date of submission: 12/19/2018
  • Date of approval: 11/06/2019

J-1 Visa Waiver Approval Notice: I-612 Application to wave foreign residence requirements




The holiday season is a time for family and togetherness. In our line of work, we are fortunate to be able to help many families remain in the United States together. We had the pleasure of working with an Egyptian national who came to the United States on a J-1 visa in order to conduct cutting-edge research on environmental problems related to water contamination and the effect of aquatic life. He was subject to the two-year residency requirement, which would have meant that his two United States-born daughters who would have had to go to Egypt with him if the waiver of the requirement were not approved. His youngest daughter has suffered from a host of health issues since birth, so her relocation to Egypt where medical standards are well below those of the United States could have disastrous long-term consequences. His daughter suffered from difficulty breathing at birth, which could lead to various health concerns in the future, including hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy.
The Ranchod Law Group was able to successfully overcome the high burden to show that client’s daughters would suffer extreme hardship if the waiver were denied and they were required to live in Egypt for two years. Through in-depth country research, intensive document collection, and our no-stone-unturned approach, we were able to demonstrate to USCIS that even two years spent in Egypt would adversely affect client’s two daughters. We covered arguments spanning from:

  • medical standards in Egypt;
  • safety of children;
  • economic conditions in the country and how they would affect the two girls’ quality of life.

After receiving a challenging Request For Evidence (RFE), we were able to secure an approval for our client’s waiver application in less than one year. Our clients will rest a bit easier this holiday season, knowing that their family can remain in the United States and maintain their quality of life.

Additional information on J-1 Visa Waivers (I-612 Approvals):

J-1 Hardship Waiver Letter of Approval: I-612 Application Success Story

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I-612 Hardship Wavier Approval for Indian National Doctor who conducts medical research




Date Waiver was Filed: 9-27-17
Date of Approval: 9-09-19
Client is a native of: India

Our Indian native client is an accomplished doctor who conducts medical research. To get her J-1 waiver approved, we proved that our client’s United States Citizen relative (her young daughter) would suffer extreme hardship if her mother were to return to her home country of India to fulfill the two-year foreign residency requirement without her and with her.

The facts of this case: how we proved extreme hardship

Client’s Daughter:

  • needed to stay in the United States to continue seeing a highly-knowledgeable medical specialist to help with her specific medical condition – which she would not have access to if she were to return to India with her mother;
  • could not remain in the United States without her: the separation was not an option as the child was fully dependent on maternal care. The baby was exclusively breastfed and refused formula;
  • needed to stay in the United States to continue seeing a highly-knowledgeable medical specialist to help with her specific medical condition – which she would not have access to if she were to return to India with her mother;
  • could not remain in the United States without her mother: the separation was not an option as the child was fully dependent on maternal care. The baby was exclusively breastfed and refused formula.

Furthermore, we also proved that client’s husband:

  • would be adversely affected if he were to stay in the home country or remain in the United States without our client;
  • was only two years away from being eligible to naturalize; relocating to India would delay this process;
  • was seeing a psychologist for severe mental conditions and a physician for a physical ailment. Both of which would be difficult to attend to in the same high-quality manner if they were to relocate to India;
  • would not be able to continue his work, since his occupation’s field is far behind in India and lacks the progress and solid foundation that exists in America

In addition to all this, if the family were to relocate to India, they would face extreme hardship as they would need to sell their house, and in doing so, they would deplete their savings and have nothing to return to America with except for damaged credit and debt.

Our client’s J-1 waiver was approved on 9/09/19

Our client will do a lot of good for patients and, through her research, for the future of medicine.

Additional information and other success stories about I-612 Waivers:

I-612 Hardship Waiver Approval Success Story for Canadian Native

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I-612 Hardship Waiver Letter of Approval for a medical geneticist Canadian native client




Our Canadian native client is a medical specialist who was pregnant with her first child when she contacted our firm to file her J-1 waiver case.

We proved that our client’s United States Citizen husband and his United States Citizen parents would suffer exceptional hardship if she returned to her home country of Canada to fulfill the two-year foreign residency requirement and if her husband et al were to relocate to Canada with her.

Her spouse would be devastated because of his inability to continue his career abroad and because of the couple’s obligations to his elderly sick American parents. He had sacrificed so much to become a United States board certified specialist (spending 14 years in education and training) and is unable to practice in Canada.

Furthermore, he had mental health issues including generalized anxiety disorder. Any other scenario aside from an approval of this waiver would be severely detrimental to his mental health and ability to function.

Finally, he would not send his wife to Canada to be a single mother to their child, he would not remain in the United States separated from his wife and child, nor would he separate the child from its mother and send his wife to Canada by herself.

Our client is one among the severe shortage of medical specialists.

Current wait times to be seen by this specialist for initial evaluations is up to 11 weeks. If consulted and seen early, therapies can be put into place to prevent further damage to overall health.

Fortunately, because of her J-1 approval our client can continue helping a vulnerable population.

Additional information in this subject:

J-1 Visa Waiver Processing and Timeline in 2019

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Hi this is Kaushik Ranchod here coming to you live from The Ranchod Law Group answering your immigration questions. Today I’m going to answer the question:

What is happening with J-1 Visa Waivers under the President Trump Administration?
Well… Things have changed with the President Trump Administration, there have been a lot more Request(s) For Evidence (RFE)s that have been issued for Request(s) For Evidence (RFE).

The other issue is that it’s taking 21 months to 25 months – are you kidding me!!??

That’s what’s happening, yes, it’s taking a long time to get J-1 Visa Waivers approved and so the most important thing is to start the process early on: if you start too late you’re going to be out of status because it takes so long to get the J-1 Visa Waiver approved.

Second, there has been one officer currently who has been issuing a lot of Request(s) For Evidence (RFE)s. With the United States CIS administration we’re hoping to see this end soon, but that’s historically what’s been happening.

There are erroneous Request(s) For Evidence (RFE)s, there are Request(s) For Evidence (RFE)s where all the information has been presented and they are asking for the same information again: they are trying to nit-pick every single issue where arguments have been made to demonstrate extreme hardship so that’s not stopping us.

We’re just taking it one level further and preparing responses to those Request(s) For Evidence (RFE)s where we’re retained by the client to demonstrate the extreme hardship one where the spouse is abroad and one where the spouse is here.

So, for instance they’re asking in many cases, they want updated documents and it’s their government’s fault that it’s taking 2 years to process the case but then they come back saying they want updated documents showing for instance financial hardship. So, then we have to go and provide that information even though we already provided it earlier.

So, these are kind of the games the government are playing we’re not letting that stop us, there’s still hope. We just have to work a little bit harder but as usual we’ll roll up our sleeves and get the job done.

If you have questions call us at (916) 613-3553 or check out our other videos on J-1 Visa hardship Waivers and other immigration issues and remember to file early, remember not to give up hope and to call us at (916) 613-3553 to see if you qualify because maybe it’s not in your best interest to qualify.

We have to evaluate your case and evaluate your situation. Keep in mind that if you did get government funding from the United States government that is going to also raise the bar on what you need to do to demonstrate extreme hardship because the department of state gets involved so not only do you have the United States CIS but you’ve also got the Department of State (DOS) – oh my gosh two agencies!

hey… don’t let that stop you! call us at (916) 613-3553 to find out if you should apply especially if you have United States government funding because if you have United States government funding it does make it more difficult to get an approval so you really need to make sure that you have a solid case.

That’s all for today, have an awesome day!

Related Information on J-1 Hardship Waivers

J-1 Hardship Waiver for Egyptian Client with Government Funding

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The facts about this case:

  • Client has two United States citizen children.
  • The older of the two children had RSV and a medical history of respiratory illness.
  • That child receives medical care multiple times each year.
  • In the United States the family has excellent health insurance coverage via client’s employer which they would lose if the family relocated to Egypt.

The Ranchod Law Group argued exceptional medical hardship because of this and because conditions in Egypt would aggravate the child’s health.

This problem is also compounded by the unavailability of medical care and medications in Egypt.

We also made additional hardship arguments due to:

  • the dangerous conditions in Egypt including terrorism and kidnapping;
  • the exceptional financial hardship which would accompany relocation to Egypt as relevant to the children;
  • the severe educational deficiencies in Egypt;
  • the language barrier;
  • emotional/mental health hardship to the children;

among other hardships.

The case was approved in a year and three months.

Additional information in this subject:

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