J-1 to F-1

[b4bhavin]

hi all
I am on J-1 & my wife is on J-2 visa here in US.
My visa is expiring on 31 oct,08. I applied for waiver & will be getting the clearance certificates by first week of aug. I am looking for the next step what to do next & how to do change of status to F-1 ?
Is it the only option to get extension?
Can I get extension for 6 months as I was on 1yr visa?
Do someone know regarding some good universities in baltimore or chicago or louisiana?
Thank you SO much for help in advance

[kitten3]

Hi b4bhavin,

You might have taken care of your situation by now.

As far as I know, you can change from J-1 to F-1 without doing J-1 waiver. You simply will be an F-1 visa holder with 2 years rule requirement left from your previous J-1 visa. My friend got 5 years F-1 visa, which was more than she asked) after J-1.

[ProudT]

Originally Posted by kitten3

Hi b4bhavin,

You might have taken care of your situation by now.

As far as I know, you can change from J-1 to F-1 without doing J-1 waiver. You simply will be an F-1 visa holder with 2 years rule requirement left from your previous J-1 visa. My friend got 5 years F-1 visa, which was more than she asked) after J-1.

What do you mean by "requirement left" ?