No Obligation To Return To India(NORI)

Consulate General of India
Chicago

Resumption of all over-the-counter Miscellaneous Consular services at the Consulate]

Applications for Miscellaneous Consular Services (Attestation, Power of Attorney, Police Clearance Certificates, etc.) can be sent to the Consulate through postal mail or in person on any working day (except declared Holidays) between 09.00 AM - 12.15 PM by taking prior appointment by email at cons[dot]chicago[at]mea[dot]gov[dot]in.

Before visit in person or sending by post

Please visit the website, https://www.cgichicago.gov.in/page/launching-of-esewa-portal-for-misc-consular-service-seekers/ for availing various Miscellaneous Consular Services through Online Consular Services System (eSewa Portal). Queries related to Miscellaneous Consular services may also be emailed at cons[dot]chicago[at]mea[dot]gov[dot]in

It is mandatory to register the applicant on the above mentioned eSewa portal before in-person visit of sending applications through mail to the Consulate

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NO OBLIGATION TO RETURN TO INDIA (NORI)

NORI is a 3 stage process available to J1 visa holders. The Consulate handles only Stage 1 and Stage 3. The applicants have to handle Stage 2 themselves. The 3 Stages are as follows:

STAGE I	Attestation of Bio-data and Affidavit forms by the Consulate.
STAGE II	Submission of Bio-data and Affidavit forms by the applicant to their respective Passport issuing authorities (RPOs), State Home Departments and Department of Education (M/o Human Resource and Development) for obtaining necessary clearances for NORI.
STAGE III	Issuance of Waiver Certificate by the Consulate.

NORI applicants not residing in USA may approach the nearest Indian Mission / Post to avail NORI service. NORI applicants in India may approach CPV Division of the Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi. Consulate General of India, Chicago serves the states of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Wisconsin. Only the applicants residing in these states are eligible to apply at this Consulate.

Any queries / clarifications regarding ‘NORI’ may please be sent at email address : cons[dot]chicago[at]mea[dot]gov[dot]in with the subject “Miscellaneous Services – NORI”. The applicants must provide full facts and details of the case while writing the e-mail. The applicants are also required to provide their complete contact details (along-with their reachable contact number) so that they may be contacted accordingly while addressing their issues.

Before visit in person or sending by post

It is mandatory to register the applicant on the above mentioned eSewa portal before in-person visit of sending applications through mail to the Consulate.

STAGE I

Stage 1 is the attestation of Bio-data and Affidavit forms by the Consulate. The applicants have to submit the following documents / forms for the Stage – I :

Before visit in person or sending by post.

It is mandatory to register the applicant on the above mentioned eSewa portal before in-person visit of sending applications through mail to the Consulate

Download, fill and sign the Miscellaneous Application form. In case of those who can not sign, provide thumb impression (Right Hand Thumb Impression for female and left hand thumb impression for male). Each applicant is required to fill up separate Miscellaneous Application form and affix his / her recent passport size photograph.
A notarized photocopy of applicant's current passport and valid J1 Visa or a valid DS-2019 (if J1 Visa has expired)
A notarized photocopy of proof of applicant's current US residence address such as U.S. Drivers license, Utility bills displaying applicant's address, House Lease Agreement, State Identification Card etc. Bank / credit card / mobile phone statements are not accepted as residence proof.
Download and fill the Bio-data form and Affidavit form. Send 3 sets of original notarized Bio-data form and Affidavit form along-with a photocopy. This also applies to when applying in person. One set of form means one Bio-data form and one Affidavit form.
A fee of US$60.00 (Sixty Only) for Stage I and an additional fee of US$2.00 (Two Only) towards Indian Community Welfare Fund (ICWF) per application. The fees should be paid in two separate money orders / cashiers cheques, drawn in the favour of 'Consulate General of India, Chicago’. Cash, personal cheques, debit / credit cards or other banking instruments are not accepted.
Please send a self-addressed traceable pre-paid return mailing envelope (USPS 'Express Mail' or FEDEX, UPS etc.) to receive the attested forms back by post.
All the above-mentioned required documents should be sent to the following address :

Consulate General of India, Chicago
455 North Cityfront Plaza
Suite 850, NBC Tower
Chicago, IL 60611

Please mention “Miscellaneous Consular Services – NORI Stage – I” on top of the envelope. Please wait 3-days after sending the documents before contacting the Consulate to know the status of your case.

STAGE – II

The Ministry of Human Resources Development has launched a new portal - http://nori.ac.in for inviting online application for NORI since 27th February 2016. The applicants have to visit the portal and follow further instructions there for the Stage – II. On receipt of the attested forms from the Consulate the applicants are required to send one set of the attested Bio-data form and Affidavit form to each of the following authorities in India:

S. No.	Authority	How to send ?
1.	The Regional Passport Office/ Passport Issuing authority from where the applicant was issued the Passport to come abroad.	Offline (by postal means) or Online. Applicants may contact their respective authorities for more clarification / infromtaion in this regard.
2.	The Home Department of the State in India where the applicant belongs.
3.	The Department of Education, Ministry of Human Resource Department, ES-5 Division, External Scholar Ship Division., 2nd floor, Wing-6, West Block -1, R.K. Puram, Delhi- 110 066.

It is the applicant’s responsibility to obtain clearances from the three authorities in India. The Consulate will not pursue it on their behalf.

STAGE – III

In the Stage – III, the applicant applies for issuance of Waiver Certificate by the Consulate after he / she has received the clearances from the 3 authorities in India. The Consulate will issue the Waiver Certificate and forward it to the Embassy of India in Washington DC for onward transmission to the US Immigration Authority who will notify the applicant directly regarding its acceptance. A copy of of the same will be sent to the applicant also. The applicants have to submit the following documents / forms for the Stage – III:

Same as Stage I. Please read Stage – I above.
Same as Stage I. Please read Stage – I above.
Same as Stage I. Please read Stage – I above.
A copy of all the three clearances along with the CASE NUMBER given by US Immigration authorities (www.uscis.gov ) to the Embassy (For Details, Please visit https://travel.state.gov/content/visas/en/study-exchange/student/residency-waiver.html ).
Fee : A fee of US $25.00(Twenty Five only) for stage III and an additional fee of US$2.00 (Two Only) towards Indian Community Welfare Fund (ICWF) per application. The fees should be paid in two separate money orders / cashiers cheques, drawn in the favour of 'Consulate General of India, Chicago’. Cash, personal cheques, debit / credit cards or other banking instruments are not accepted.
Please send a self-addressed traceable pre-paid return mailing envelope (USPS 'Express Mail' or FEDEX, UPS etc.) to receive the Waiver Certificate back by post.

7. All the above-mentioned required documents should be sent to the following address :

Consulate General of India, Chicago
455 North Cityfront Plaza
Suite 850, NBC Tower
Chicago, IL 60611

Please mention “Miscellaneous Consular Services – NORI Stage – III”on top of the envelope. Please wait 3-4 days after sending the documents before contacting the Consulate to know the status of your case.

Before visit in person or sending by post

Applicants could visit the Consulate on any working day between 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM. The service will be on first come first serve basis.
There is no need to notarize any document except Bio-data and Affidavit forms. All the above-mentioned documents must be presented in duplicate ( i. e. in original along with a photocopy ) to the Consular Officer.
Fee : As mentioned above. CASH, PERSONAL CHEQUES, CREDIT CARDS, DEBIT CARDS OR OTHER BANKING INSTRUMENTS ARE NOT ACCEPTED.
Traceable pre-paid return mailing envelope is not required.

Notes :

The photocopies must be legible enough otherwise Consular Officer may ask to see the original.
Only recent photographs of the applicant should be used wherever necessary.
Processing times :

S. No.	Applying through postal service	Applying in person
STAGE I	4 to 5 business days excluding the time taken in mail.	Same day, however, if unforeseen technical reasons occur, services can be delayed till those problems are resolved. Presently this option remains suspended.
STAGE II	No fixed processing time. Depends on time taken in obtaining clearances from offices in India. Handled by the applicant themselves.	No fixed processing time. Depends on time taken in obtaining clearances from offices in India. Handled by the applicant themselves.
STAGE III	4 to 5 business days excluding the time taken in mail.	Same day, however, if unforeseen technical reasons occur, services can be delayed till those problems are resolved. Presently this option remains suspended.