Can I move back to India while waiting on NORI?

[dev44]

Hi everyone!

I was hoping someone might have some advice or experience with applying for the NORI certificate while moving from the US to India. 

I'm an Indian postdoc on a J-1 visa and now have a permanent job offer from a university in the US, so need to get a waiver before I can switch and take the job. My plan was to stay in my program till about August/September of this year, and then end the program and return to India until I could come back to the US for my next job here (which I think would be in the middle of 2019 because of the waiver timeline). 

I'm wondering if I can start the NORI application process here (get the documents attested by the Consulate and send them to the respective offices in India) and then complete the process in India (i.e. Stage 3). I don't want to delay, but if I start now I imagine the clearances might not arrive until I've returned to India. Is it the case that if I start the process in the US I need to complete it here with the same Consulate? Or can I start in the US and complete it in India?

I'd be super grateful for any help or advice! Thank you!