No Objection Letter Procedure
The applicant must request the letter from the Ministry of Foreign Relations in Panama. There is no formal style for this request, and it can take the form of a letter. The letter should include all relevant information regarding: the applicantÕs course of study, the conditions and terms under which the applicant was accepted to the program for which the J-1 visa was issued (some programs require the applicant to return to their native country), and the reasons for the request.
The request may be addressed to:
His Excellency
Samuel Lewis Navarro
Ministry of Foreign Relations
Ministry of Foreign Relations
Panamá 4, República of Panamá
Att: T.H. Iana Quadri de Ballard General Director of Judicial Affairs
Fax No. 011-(507)-262-1416
The Ministry of Foreign Relations will forward the request to the National Institute for the Human Resource Development (IFARHU), which will make a determination on the appropriateness of issuing a No Objection Letter.
IFARHU will communicate its determination to the Ministry of Foreign Relations, which will in turn issue instructions to this Embassy in Washington, DC, ordering them to either issue or the letter or not.
The Embassy will issue the appropriate letter directly to the Department of State (DOS) VISA office. In order to expedite the application, we may request that the applicant complete his or her data sheet and send copies of all the IAP-66 forms.
The DOS VISA office will forward its recommendation that the waiver be granted or denied to the Immigration and Naturalization Service Center (INS) having jurisdiction over the exchange visitors current place of residence in the United States.
