I-612 Application for Waiver of the Foreign Residence Requirement (under Section 212(e) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, as Amended)
Asks USCIS to waive the two-year home-country residence requirement that attaches to many J-1 exchange visitors. It covers the exceptional hardship and persecution grounds. The other grounds - no objection statement, interested government agency, Conrad 30 - go through the State Department's Waiver Review Division on Form DS-3035 first.
- Fee
- $1,100
- Fee waiver
- Not available
- Who files
- J-1 and J-2 exchange visitors subject to INA 212(e).
- Where to file
- By mail to the USCIS lockbox named in the instructions.
Usually filed with
Part of these processes
What changed in 2025 and 2026
- Until the two-year requirement is satisfied or waived, a J-1 subject to it cannot get an H, L, or K visa or adjust status. The State Department fee for the DS-3035 side of the process is $120.
Official page. https://www.uscis.gov/i-612. Download the form there, never from a third-party site; check the edition date and fee before filing.