No Objection Certificate (NOC) for No Obligation to Return to India (NORI)

No Obligation to Return to India (NORI) Certificate is required by a person who has gone to USA on J-1 visa. J-1 visa is subject to a two-year home country physical presence requirement which requires J-1 visa holders to return to their home country for at least two years at the end of their exchange visitor program. This is also known as the foreign residence requirement under U.S. law, Immigration and Nationality Act, Section 212(e). If someone is unable to return to India to fulfill the two-year requirement, one must obtain a waiver from Embassy /Consulate General of India in the USA. To enable the Embassy to issue a "WAIVER CERTIFICATE", for the purpose of immigration, it is necessary for the applicant to obtain No Objection Certificate (NOC) directly from the authorities concerned in India. One of the authorities to issue the NOC for non-medical applicants, is the External Scholarship Division of the Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education.

Note:

• 1. The DHE does not issue NOC for NORI if any of the qualification possessed by applicant is included in any of the three schedules of Medical Council of India Act, 1956. The same is available in the public domain of MCI at https://www.nmc.org.in.
• 2. If an applicant has availed of scholarships/ loans from any other Ministry/ Department or is under any bond obligation from any other Ministry/ Department, she/ he should apply for NOC directly to that Ministry/ Department.

Ministry of Education has launched a new portal for NOC to be given by the External Scholarship Division of NORI http://nori.ac.in/ which has been functional since 27.02.2016. The physical mode of application has been discontinued from 27.05.2016. This portal does not deal with other NOCs which might be required by an applicant for getting the NORI.

Procedure for applying on NORI portal of Ministry of Education:

Important Notes:

• The applicants are required to register themselves on the portal http://nori.ac.in. At the time of registration, the candidate is required to give the same current address as mentioned in the biodata. The scanned copies (colour) of the following documents are required to be uploaded while making online application for NOC of NORI: (i) Affidavit, (ii) biodata, (iii) educational/academic certificate/diploma/degree conferred after 10+2, (iv) visa, (v) passport and (vi) DS 2019 Certificate of Eligibility for Exchange Visitor Status issued by the authority at the Government of USA.
• Affidavit and biodata should be in prescribed format which is available on the website of Embassy of India/Consulate General of India (CGI) in the USA and duly notarized by notary public and then authenticated by the concerned Embassy of India/CGI. Detailed instruction may be seen at their respective sites (links have been provided below).
• An applicant is required to give his/her response against all the columns and statements mentioned in biodata and affidavit. Candidates should give categorical response viz. either ‘yes’ or ‘no’ instead of leaving it blank/dashes/not applicable against the columns and statements mentioned in biodata and affidavit form.
• The applicants who are residing in India and apply for NOC of NORI, are required to download the prescribed forms for biodata and affidavit from the link given below and are required to notarize these forms after filling them completely.
• The applicants who are residing in other country than India and the USA are required to contact the Indian Mission in the residing country and are required to get the biodata and affidavit notarized from notary public and then these documents should be authenticated by the Indian mission in that country.

M/o Defence letter regarding doing away with NOC for Defence Personnel - View

The following facilities have been provided in the NORI portal for applicants:

• To apply online
• Applicant gets an e-mail when any update is made in his/her application status. The details may be seen after re-login to the portal.
• In case any shortcoming is found in the application, the applicants are intimated on the portal, and they can submit their reply on the same portal.
• After issue of NOC for NORI, a copy of the same can be downloaded from the portal.

NOTE:NOC for NORI is sent to the Ministry of External Affair in New Delhi/Embassy of India/CGI as the case may be.

Links :

Embassy of India, Washington DC - https://www.indianembassy.org/pages.php?id=71

CGI, New York - https://www.indiainnewyork.gov.in

CGI, San Francisco - http://www.cgisf.gov.in/

CGI, Chicago - http://www.cgichicago.gov.in

CGI, Houston - http://cgihouston.gov.in/

CGI, Atlanta - https://www.indiainatlanta.gov.in

Bio-data & Affidavit (for those who are currently residing in India or other country than the USA), click here - (311 KB)

Contact us:
External Scholarship Division,
Ministry of Education,
Department of Higher Education,
West Block 1, 2nd Floor, Wing 6, Room No. 5,
R. K. Puram, Sector 1, New Delhi 110066.
Tele:011-26172896