changing J-1 category

ahlawy

New Member
Hi,
I'm currently at US on J-1 visa under "short-term scholar" category, my DS-2019 will expire Nov. 1st but my J-1 will expire after 5 years. I've been admitted to a PhD program that starts next Jan. I knew I can continue on my J-1 but with another DS-2019 having "Student, college/university" category. I have some questions regarding this:
1. Do I have to re-apply for J-1 visa or may I use current one?
2. If I traveled to my country return when my program starts, would I face any problems when entering U.S. 2 consecutive times with 2 DS-2019 having different categories?
3. I'm not subject to two year rule on my current DS-2019, my new program is not funded by neither US government nor my country government, and my specialty is not on my country skill list, so does the change in category has any problem with two year rule?
 
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