J1 to Visitor's - Change of Status

K

kstoimenov

New Member
I would like to know if there are any possibilities to change that status of the J1 to Visitor's so I can extend my stay here in USA for another year.

I am currently with J1 visa (Work and Travel) and my status ends at 08/31/2008 and I would like to extend my stay here with Visitor's Visa.

What do I have to do in order to be able to stay here.

Thanks!
 
kstoimenov said:
I would like to know if there are any possibilities to change that status of the J1 to Visitor's so I can extend my stay here in USA for another year.

I am currently with J1 visa (Work and Travel) and my status ends at 08/31/2008 and I would like to extend my stay here with Visitor's Visa.

What do I have to do in order to be able to stay here.

Thanks!
Click to expand...

Change from Short term J to longer term one is relatively easy. Start from the international office in your place and you should have a sponsor who agree to extend your stay
 
Hi, thank you for your answer!
Actually, this is a " Work and travel " 4 months program. I'm not sure that that one can be changed to a longer term. I'm also afraid of the 2 year rule ( I'm not subject to it) if I try to extend my stay on J visa. I just need about 1 year extension and I will be eligible to apply for GC ( marriage to a citizen).
 
Sure u can apply for change of status from J1 to B1/B2.....just present ur case nicely e.g. mention that u wanna explore US for a little more time and wanna visit a fe universities for a possibility of higher education.

If approved, u could get a maximum of 6 months extn and can reapply for extn for another 6 months.....SO total validity is max 1 year.

See if above info helps

Dheeraj
 
The 2-year rule applies for the GC as well. You have to ask for a waiver first before you can become a permanent resident.
 
Thats right. The only way to visit US if u haven't got a J1 waiver is Tourist visa, for any other visa or GC, u need to get a waiver before applying further
 
dheeraj212 said:
Sure u can apply for change of status from J1 to B1/B2.....just present ur case nicely e.g. mention that u wanna explore US for a little more time and wanna visit a fe universities for a possibility of higher education.
If approved, u could get a maximum of 6 months extn and can reapply for extn for another 6 months.....SO total validity is max 1 year.
See if above info helps
Dheeraj
Click to expand...

Hi Dheeraj and all,
I saw your post, while searching for information for a friend about how she could change her J1 into a B2.
I'm trying to find all she needs in order to apply for B2 and where to send the papers.
Do you have any hints on that ?
Thanks a lot!
 
The easiest is to get the visa abroad. J1 change of status is frowned upon by USCIS since its an explicit exchange visitor status.
 
Nscagony

U might be right. But probably its not possible for his/her friend to back to home country and apply for visitor visa. There are many people in the country who can't or dont wanna go back, it could be due to monetary or other personal problems. This case seems like one of those.

If u wanna change ur status from J to B, best way is to consult a lawyer, normally for change of status while u r in the country they wont charge u much. But present ur case nicely in an effective way.

I hope it helps.

D
 
Hi guys, thanks a lot for your responses.
After i read a bit more some of the posts on this forum i figured she's got several options:
- go back to the country and get the B2 visa -option not valid as a trip back and forth to the country would exhaust entirely the budget for traveling around in the US.
- go to Tijuana and attempt to obtain the B2 visa - in case of a refusal, will she be able to get back to the US on the former J1? would that be still valid?
Have you heard of any case where B2 has been issued at some US consulate other than the home country?

- apply for a F1 visa -she is NOT subject of 2 yr HRR (work and travel program), does she needs a waiver in order to apply for the F1 in the US?
In this case how long does it take in order to get the F1. Does she have enough time provided her J1 expires at the end of Oct 2008?


Thanks a lot for you input.
 
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