If you are in the United States with a J-1 visa (Exchange Visitor Program), which requires that you return to Italy for at least two years after it expires, and wish to extend your stay in order to pursue further research or accept an offer of employment from a U.S. agency or institution, you are required to apply for a special waiver from the U.S. Department of State and then obtain a No Objection Statement from the Government of Italy.
The No Objection Statement must be requested from the Consular Office of the Embassy of Italy in Washington in compliance with the following:
- Interested parties should follow the standard procedure, which does not require the services of an attorney, and submit the application online at the website of the U.S. Department of State: http://travel.state.gov/visa/temp/info/info_1296.html.
- A brief request in Italian specifying the reasons for the waiver application is to be submitted promptly thereafter to the Consular Office, preferably by e-mail at J1waivers.washington@esteri.it. The request must be accompanied by the following documents:
- A copy of the passport (pages containing personal data and visa);
- A complete and updated curriculum vitæ in Italian in Word format containing your contact information;
- A summary of the curriculum vitæ in Word format that strictly complies with the form downloadable here.
- A copy of the notice from the U.S. Department of State with the case file number. If the notice from the Department of State has not yet been received, it may be submitted at a later time in PDF format by e-mail at J1waivers.washington@esteri.it or by fax at +1 (202) 518-2142.
The average wait time for the release of the No Objection Statement by the Government of Italy is about 45 days. Please allow sufficient time for processing of the required documentation. Submissions will be reviewed, without exception, in the order they are received.
How the process evolves:
- After reviewing each application, the Consular Office requests authorization from the Ministry of Education, University, and Research (MIUR), which typically responds within one month.
- Once approval has been received from the Ministry of Education, the Consular Office provides a “No Objection Statement” to the U.S. Department of State and informs the applicant via email.
- The involvement of the Consular Office terminates with the submission of the statement to the Department of State.
- Information on the status of a waiver request is available on the Department of State website at: http://j1visawaiverstatus.state.gov/.
IMPORTANT: Fulbright Scholars refer to the following website:
http://travel.state.gov/visa/temp/types/types_1267.html
The Consular Office transmits waivers for Fulbright recipients as well. Please bear in mind that it may take some time before a response is received from U.S. Authorities.
To contact the Consular Office - J-1 Waivers Office, click here
