J-1 to F-1

S

sunshine10

Registered Users (C)
hello everyone,
i have been in the us for a year now on a J-1 visa (no 2 year homecountry residency requirement) and have been accepted by a graduate school couple of days ago.
my J-1 visa expires today and i can stay in the us for additional 30 days (grace period). in the meantime i will be issued I-20 and apply for an F-1 (change of status) but what if i don't get my F-1 visa before my grace period expires? am i supposed to leave the country?
 
what expires - your visa in your passport or your DS-2019? Please be precise.

Change of status usually takes 3-4 months, so you definitely won't get a change of status approved 30 days from now.

If in fact, it's your DS-2019 that expires today, it's OK. The good news is that you have three ways out:

1) you leave the States before your grace period is over, come back with F-1 visa. It's really the best way, except that if you are from a poor country, you may not get a visa.

2) apply for a change of status before your grace period expires, and until the decision on your change of status is made you will be in legal status. Bad news - if the decision is negative, you will be out of status. And this wouldn't be a good way to go if you got accepted for a fall semester. Too long - your change of status will probably be approved by summer, and you will most likely (although I am not sure) need to start school in the summer

3) get the school to issue you a DS-2019 and keep you in J-1 status instead of issuing you an I-20 for F-1 status. Yes, schools can do that. If they do, you'll keep your J-1 status. Will most likely work if you can start school immediately, and if you are not starting now - you will have to ask the international advisor.
 
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thank you for your help. :)
i will try the second option, apply for a change of status before my grace period expires and hope that my f-1 visa will be approved. leaving the country doesn't seem a good option - i am apllying for a visa for a graduate school, i am 26 and have been in the us before on a j-1 visa...

and i will defnitely ask about the option to stay in j-1 visa status (with a new ds-2019).

my visa, ds-2019, i-94 expire today. i have a grace period till february 8, 2007.
thx one more time.
 
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