The object of exchange visitor programs is to foster mutual understanding between people in the U.S. and in other countries around the world, through educational and cultural interaction. Regarding basic eligibility, see A J-1 Visa to the U.S.: Who Qualifies?.
Getting a J-1 visa from within the U.S. involves four major steps, each of which is described further along in this article:
The mere fact of being in the U.S. is not necessarily enough to allow you to request a change to J-1 (or any other) status. People who are undocumented, for example, are ineligible to apply for a change of status, regardless of whether they have been accepted by an exchange program.
If you are physically present in the U.S., you may apply for a change to J-1 status without leaving the country only if:
If you have any questions about your eligibility to apply for a change of status, consult an immigration attorney. It’s possible that you can still obtain a J-1 visa by leaving the U.S. first and then applying through a U.S. consulate in your home country.
Before starting the J-1 application process, you must gain admission to an exchange program approved by the U.S. Department of State (DOS), through its Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA). See the State Department’s list of approved organizations at its Designated Sponsor Organizations page. Get started on this well in advance, to leave time for submitting the USCIS paperwork and receiving a decision before the exchange program starts.
Once an approved program has accepted you, it will send you a Certificate of Eligibility, or SEVIS Form DS-2019. Carefully check it for any errors, and contact the sponsoring organization to correct them. You will need to use the DS-2019 in the next steps of applying.
Before submitting your application, you’ll need to pay a fee. The amount is $220 for most applicants (early 2024 figure), but exceptions are made in some categories. Federally sponsored exchange visitor program (program codes start with G-1, G-2, G-3, or G-7) pay no fee; and au pairs, camp counselors, and summer work/travel program participants pay $35.
The purpose of the fee is to support the U.S. student tracking database called SEVIS. Your school might take care of processing this fee payment for you. If not, you will need to do it yourself, either online or by mail.
To do so online, go to www.FMJfee.com and pay by credit card. You will need to complete the online Form I-901.
For more information, see the SEVIS I-901 Fee page of the ICE website.
Assemble the items on the below list and submit them to USCIS in order to apply for the change of status.
After assembling the change of status application, you can either submit it online or mail it to a USCIS Service Center, as per the instructions on the USCIS website.
It normally takes USCIS several months to approve (or deny) change of status applications; and the agency is often backed up; expect to wait between 3.5 and 7 months for a decision (depending on which Service Center is handling cases from your area). Processing time averages can be found on its website. USCIS will notify you of its decision using a Form I-797 Notice of Action. It will send you a new I-94 card as well.
After approval, you may begin your program.
It can be helpful to consult with an attorney who specializes in immigration law in order to discuss and strategize. The attorney can also help you with the paperwork for a J-1 change of status, and monitor your case's progress through the U.S. government bureaucracy.
Broadly speaking, if you came to the U.S. on a nonimmigrant (temporary) visa, didn't violate its terms and it hasn't expired, and you are potentially eligible for the next type of status you have in mind, you can likely request a change of status. Nevertheless, not everyone who entered the U.S. on a visa or by some other legal means is eligible to change status here, whether to student or to some other category.
If, for instance, you entered the U.S. either on the Visa Waiver Program (VWP; also sometimes called "ESTA") or as a crewman, you cannot submit a change of status application. (For details, see Came to the U.S. on the Visa Waiver Program: Can I Change to M-1 Vocational Student Status?)
If you entered as a tourist (on a B-2 visa), you should have, before departing your home country, asked for and received from the U.S. consulate a special notation on your visa indicating that you would be looking at and possibly applying to schools while in the United States.
If you did not receive this "prospective student" notation, you can still apply to change your status in the United States, but the process might be difficult. You will have to prove why you are now deciding to stay for school when your original intent was just to visit. If in doubt, consult an attorney over your ability to change status.
If you did not get the “prospective student” notation in your B-2 visa, be careful about the timing of a request to change status. Officials from the Department of State (or DOS, which handles immigration matters at embassies and consulates abroad) have adopted a so-called 60-day rule.
That rule creates a presumption of misrepresentation if you enter the U.S. in one visa category but then apply to change to another visa category (or apply to get a green card) within 60 days of your U.S. entry. That is to say, if you apply to change status quickly without a good reason, officials will conclude that you lied about the reasons you came to the United States.
The prospective student” notation would qualify as good reason, and you could likely avoid this presumption. Officials from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS, which handles immigration matters within the United States) do not have an official rule on this topic, but still check for possible misrepresentation when reviewing requests to change status. For most people, it’s best to wait at least 60 days after entering the United States to submit any change of status request (unless you have the “prospective student” notation).
Immigration rules for student visas indicate that you can enter the U.S. on a student visa up to 30 days before your school begins. Immigration officials have interpreted this rule to also mean that you must maintain your current immigration status until 30 days before your studies will start. If you cannot show this, your change of status request will be denied.
In practice, this means that you might have to submit separate and different requests to USCIS in order to achieve your goal. The first will be to extend your current status. The second request will be to change your status to that of student. (For more information about extensions of status, see Filling Out Form I-539 to Extend Nonimmigrant Status.) The best practice is to file the extension request first and later include USCIS's receipt for the extension request with your change of status request.
The change of status application requirements are nearly identical for F-1 (academic) and M-1 (vocational) applicants.
You’ll start by getting what’s called a SEVIS Form I-20 from the school that admits you, and paying the SEVIS fee. After that, you’ll fill out and assemble more paperwork , including Form I-539 Application to Change Nonimmigrant Status, and send it all to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) with a separate fee for a decision.
If applying to academic programs, start contacting schools at least a year before you plan to start your studies. Vocational programs tend to follow their own schedules. Just remember to leave enough time for an admission decision by your program (ask the school for a time estimate) as well as a Change of Status decision by USCIS (allow a few months). Don’t forget that you might need to extend your current status, as well.
When you receive the SEVIS I-20, you’ll see that the front has been signed by the school’s Designated Student Officer (“DSO”), who is the school’s link between international students and USCIS. Before signing your I-20, review it carefully for errors and send it back for any needed correction. (It’s better to have the school fix errors now than to have to explain them to a consular or USCIS officer later.)
Sign the bottom of the form. If you are under age 18, one of your parents will have to sign as well. Hang onto the form until you're ready with the rest of your change of status application.
The main application form you will need to fill out is Form I-539, available for free download from USCIS. Attach an I-539A Supplement page if your spouse or children will be staying in the U.S. with you, as derivatives on your visa. Form I-539 has more than one use—don’t worry about questions that don’t apply to you.
The questions on this form are mostly self-explanatory, but we’ll focus on some potentially confusing ones here. This discussion refers to the version of the form issued 05/31/2022.
This part is mostly self explanatory.
You will have an “A-number” (an eight- or nine-digit -number following the letter “A” for Alien) only if you have been in deportation or removal proceedings or submitted certain immigration applications, particularly for permanent residence. If you were in proceedings or had any applications denied, see a lawyer for help.
You would have a USCIS Online Account Number only if you previously filed an application, petition, or request online using USCIS's electronic immigration system (at one time, called ELIS). The system issues its users an account number. It's not the same as an A-number.
If you have a real, valid Social Security number but haven’t been granted a visa allowing you to work in the United States, filling the number in here could send the message that you’ve worked illegally. If you have a solid explanation for having had a Social Security number, attach a letter giving the details. If not, consult a lawyer.
The I-94 number was once found on a small white card received at the airport or border. Most applicants now receive an automated I-94, accessible on the Customs & Border Protection (CBP) website. If the date on your Form I-94 has passed, you are no longer in valid immigration status and cannot file this application.
If you have a regular passport, enter your number in "Passport Number," and then enter N/A in "Travel Document Number." (Some applicants, such as some refugees, don't have a passport but have some other sort of travel document, so they would fill in the latter box.) If your passport or travel document expired after you got your most recent I-94, and you now have a new one, enter the old passport or travel document number that you had when the I-94 was given to you. Give the expiration date for that old passport or travel document.
For “Current Nonimmigrant Status,” enter the type of visa you have now, such as “B-2 visitor.” The “Expiration Date” will be on your Form I-94, NOT in your visa. Or you might not have any expiration date, if you were granted "D/S" or duration of status; there's a box to check for that. This status is normally granted only to students, allowing them to stay in the U.S. until their studies are completed.
As a first-time applicant for student status, you should check box 3.a, choose a date that's within your existing immigration status but allows you to start classes on time in 3.b, and in 3.c, enter either “F-1” for academic student status or “M-1” for vocational student status.
This form lets you change status for any spouse or children who are staying in the U.S. with you. Check box 5.a if you'd like them to change status too, and then in 5.b, enter the total number of them plus you. Also, fill out the Form I-539 Supplement A.
Question 1: Enter the date given on your I-20 for the expected completion of your program.
For Questions 3 to 5: If you are the sole applicant, you should be able to answer “no” to or skip these questions.
Questions 1a through 1.c.: Enter your passport country, number, and expiration date, even if it has expired. If the expiration date is within the period of extension that you’re asking for, you should have it renewed. You can usually do this at a consulate of your home country in the United States. Your passport must remain valid for at least six months beyond your date of departure from the United States. If your passport has expired at the time you file your I-539, attach an explanation telling USCIS why, and what you're doing about it.
Question 3: An "immigrant visa" is one that allows you to come to the U.S. and live here as a permanent resident. If you or any members of your family included in your application have applied for an immigrant visa, it indicates that you are seeking to stay in the U.S. permanently and get a green card. USCIS might conclude that you have no intention of returning home after your visit and deny this change of status application accordingly. There is no solution for this, unless the type of visa you're on allows "dual intent." Hiding an immigrant visa application from USCIS is impossible.
Question 4: An "immigrant petition" is what a family member or employer files for you as the first step in the process of getting you permanent resident status in the United States. It's not the same as your immigrant visa application. Some petitions will place you on a waiting list that will last many years before you yourself can take an active role in applying for an immigrant visa. Nevertheless, USCIS can deny your application if your answer to this question is yes.
Question 5: Form I-485 is simply the U.S. version of a green card application, used during an application process called “Adjustment of Status.” USCIS asks about this for the same reason it asks Questions 3 and 4.
Questions 6 through 15 are designed to see whether you are inadmissible to the U.S., as described in Inadmissibility and Waivers. Think carefully before entering your answers, and keep reading for details. If no good solution is provided below, you will need to consult an experienced immigration lawyer.
Question 6: If you were simply arrested for a crime and not charged (for example, the police picked up the wrong guy), you are safe entering “yes” here and attaching a written explanation and a copy of the police report. But for anything more serious, or for any of the other activities described in this question (terrorist, genocide, and so on), you must consult a lawyer before going any farther. Many criminal convictions will make applicants inadmissible to the United States. Sometimes, no conviction is even required. For example, USCIS merely has to suspect that someone is a drug trafficker in order to find them inadmissible.
Question 12: To determine whether you have violated your current immigration status, consider the type of visa you are on and what you agreed to do to get that visa. For example, if you came to the U.S. as a B-2 visitor for pleasure but worked without authorization, this would be a status violation. USCIS will probably deny your change of status application.
Question 13: If you are now in “removal proceedings” (also known as deportation proceedings), talk to a lawyer immediately—it’s likely that the USCIS has no power over this application. Your entire immigration situation is in the hands of the immigration court. You can use Part 8 of the form to add more information about your proceedings.
Question 14: If you have worked in the U.S., it needs to have been permissible under the visa or status that you held at the time. You might also have been required to obtain an employment authorization card (EAD) from USCIS. If your work wasn’t permitted, talk to a lawyer pronto. If your work was permitted, look at the paragraph below the question to see what additional information you will need to supply. You can use Part 8 of the form for that. Add a photocopy of both sides of your work permit if you had one.
This is where you sign your name and affirm that you understand the form and have provided true information.
If an interpreter or attorney helped you, that person will need to fill in Part 6 or Part 7.
You’ll need to assemble documents confirming your ability to support yourself during your studies in the United States and attesting to your intent to return home at their completion. Include these documents with your application:
You might have the option of filing online, but only if you are the sole applicant in your application. Others must mail in their I-539.
If mailing, send your Change of Status application by mail to the USCIS Lockbox Facility indicated on USCIS's filing instructions. (For most applicants, the address will be a Dallas one.) It's wise to use either a courier service such as FedEx or U.S. certified mail with a return receipt, so as to track the application if it’s lost.
You are not permitted to apply for a Change of Status until 30 days have passed since you entered the United States. And remember, you should not apply until 60 days have passed since you entered the United States (unless you have the “prospective student” notation or can show a clear reason why your plans changed.)
On the other hand, you cannot apply later than the expiration date of your current stay, and should allow for at least three months for USCIS to make its decision. The safest course is to apply no later than three months before the expiration of your current stay.
USCIS should send you a receipt notice within a few weeks. The notice will predict how long the agency will take to approve or deny your I-539 application. USCIS might or might not ask you to attend an interview.
What if classes start and you still haven’t gotten an answer from USCIS? If you are otherwise eligible, it’s best to start attending class. If you are changing to F-1 status from B-1, B-2, or F-2 status, however, you are not eligible to start attending classes until your Change of Status application is approved.
(F-2 visa holders may study part-time, and B-1 and B-2 visa holders may engage in “recreational” or “avocational” study only.) If you are not eligible to begin studies before the change of status is approved, your DSO will advise you to defer your attendance.
If your school has to defer your attendance, be careful that the new start date on your I-20 isn’t too far in the future. You might have to submit a request to extend your current status (or a second request if you have already done so). Follow these rules strictly: If you study when you were not supposed to, or if you don’t study when you should have, you’ll find that you have violated your student status before getting to enjoy it—and could be deported as a result.
The school’s DSO will understand this dilemma, and should be able to make sure the school doesn’t hold up your registration over your lack of immigration status.
If you are interested in participating in such an exchange program, here is an introduction to the application process. Getting a J-1 visa from overseas involves four major steps:
(If you are Canadian, your application procedures will be different from those of other applicants. Nolo’s book U.S. Immigration Made Easy contains details.)
You cannot start the J-1 application process until you have been admitted to an exchange program approved by the U.S. Department of State (DOS), through its Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA). The State Department provides a list of approved organizations, on its Find Designated Sponsor Organizations page. You’ll probably need to get started well in advance.
Once a program has accepted you, it will issue you a Certificate of Eligibility, or SEVIS Form DS-2019. You do not fill out or sign any part of it. But be sure to carefully check the form for accuracy. Ask your sponsoring organization to correct any errors. You’ll use the DS-2019 in the next steps of your application process.
Anyone with a Certificate of Eligibility (Form DS-2019) from an exchange visitor program sponsor can apply for a J-1 visa at a U.S. consulate in their home country. You must be physically present in order to apply there.
You can normally apply any time before your program begins. Because of processing delays, it’s best to apply as soon as you have your DS-2019 form. Check with your local U.S. consulate regarding its application procedures. Many insist on advance appointments. Just getting an appointment can take several weeks, so plan ahead.
Your application will consist of the following:
For more information on these requirements, see the DOS website.
Most consulates will require an interview before issuing a J-1 exchange visitor visa. During the interview, a consular officer will examine the forms and documents you've submitted for accuracy. The consular officer will verify your DS-2019 record electronically through the SEVIS system.
Documents proving your ability to finance your study will be carefully checked, as will evidence of ties to your home country. During the interview, you will surely be asked how long you intend to remain in the United States. Any answer indicating uncertainty about plans to return home or an interest in applying for a green card is likely to result in a denial of your visa.
Because of security requirements, you are unlikely to be approved for your J-1 visa on the same day as your interview. The consular officer will need to compare your name against various databases of people with a history of criminal activity, violations of U.S. immigration laws, or terrorist affiliations. This can add weeks or months to the processing of your visa, particularly if you come from a country that the U.S. suspects of supporting terrorism.
Once your visa is approved, you might also need to pay a visa issuance fee, depending on what country you are from.
You’ll be allowed to enter the U.S. up to 30 days before the start of your classes or program, but no earlier. When you arrive in the U.S. with your new J-1 visa, the border officer will examine your paperwork, ask you some questions, and if all is in order, approve you for entry.
The officer will stamp your passport and note your period of stay as “D/S” for Duration of Status. In addition to the annotation in your passport, you can download an I-94 Departure Record confirming your arrival date and status from the Customs & Border Protection website. Duration of Status means that you can stay until the completion of your program. As a practical matter, however, you will likely be permitted to remain up to the expiration date on your SEVIS Form DS-2019 Certificate of Eligibility.
Each time you exit and reenter the U.S., you will get a new Form I-94 for the same “D/S” period.
]]>We'll explain the next steps in both circumstances here.
If you are overseas, and the U.S. consulate denies your F-1 or M-1 student visa application, that’s final. There is no appeal process. But hopefully you learned the exact reason underlying the denial from the consular officer. If you can correct the problem, you can start over and submit a new application (hopefully very soon).
In rare cases, the U.S. consular officer might have actually misapplied the law to your case. If the officer mentioned or wrote down the legal grounds for the denial, look the exact section number of the law under, in order to read it yourself or assist any lawyer whom you later consult.
Also check into the consulate's rules on reapplying. Some have special procedures to reduce your paperwork if you are reapplying within one year.
If you are in the United States in valid immigration status, and submit an application to USCIS for a change of status (from your current status to student status, typically using Form I-539), there is no appeal from a denial. However, a lawyer can help you request that your application be reconsidered. The lawyer will need to argue that USCIS incorrectly applied the law to the facts in your original application—not an easy argument to make, unless an obvious error occurred.
If you decide to consult a lawyer or to apply for reconsideration, act quickly. If your original visa status has already run out, you can no longer gain protection by having a pending application. USCIS will likely follow its denial of your application with an NTA notice placing you into removal (deportation) proceedings. If you can’t show that you have some separate basis for being allowed to stay in the United States (for example, asylum or marriage to a U.S. citizen), you will be asked to voluntarily depart by a certain date or you will be ordered deported.
Most people who are given a choice depart voluntarily, because once you have been deported, you cannot return to the United States legally for at least five years without special permission (a “waiver”) from the U.S. government.
If your change of status application in the United States is denied and you leave within the time required (or voluntarily), you can always try applying for a visa at an overseas consulate. If the timing is right, you could possibly still start school on time.
But watch out if you have already spent more than six months in the United States unlawfully. That would make you unable to return for three or ten years. (See Consequences of Unlawful Presence in the U.S.—Three- and Ten-Year Time Bars.) Consult a lawyer if you’re facing this issue.
If you decide to reapply for a student visa, the main question will be, can you correct the underlying problem that led to the first denial?
If the problem had to do with your basic eligibility, such as whether you have enough cash in savings or other source of funds with which to cover your stay, or whether you truly plan to return home afterwards, you might be able to fix it yourself. Read about how to establish your eligibility in the first place, including F-1 Student Visa to the U.S.: Do You Qualify? and M-1 Vocational Student Visa to the U.S.: Do You Qualify?
Think about what additional forms of evidence you can come up with to tip the balance in your favor. The consulate will want to see something new, such as a source of financial support that you did not mention before, your recent wedding to someone who will stay behind in your home country during your studies (thus giving you a reason to return), or a home purchase indicating your plans to live permanently in your home country.
The more difficult problems to correct are those having to do with fraud and inadmissibility, especially for security or health reasons. These are problems that would stop you from getting any kind of visa, not just the one you’re applying for now. See Inadmissibility: When the U.S. Can Keep You Out for more information. If fraud or inadmissibility is the reason for a visa denial, consult with an immigration lawyer in the United States to discuss whether you can overcome this ground of inadmissibility or whether a waiver is available.
Having a visa or change of status application denied could have long-term consequences for your visits or eventual immigration to the United States. The U.S. government will keep a record of your visa denial. If you used fraud or they discovered that you were inadmissible for some other reason, this could affect your future visa applications.
At the least, having one visa application denied will mean that the U.S. government will look hard at any other immigration application that you submit. U.S. immigration authorities can consider this denial when making other visa decisions for you, no matter how long ago the denial happened. If you later try and hide the denial and are caught, it will probably destroy your chances of ever getting a U.S. visa or other immigration benefit.
It can be helpful to consult with an attorney who specializes in immigration law in order to discuss the likely reasons for the denial and strategize going forward.
Use of the VWP for U.S. entry comes with strict conditions, however. You are, at this point, very limited in your immigration options if you'd like to stay in the United States longer or permanently. In particular, you are not allowed to change status within the United States, which is significant to would-be vocational students for the reasons described below.
A so-called "change of status" is pretty much the only procedural method for getting M-1 vocational student status while already in the United States.
Someone who arrives in the United States on an actual nonimmigrant visa (and doesn't overstay their permitted time in the U.S.) might be able to apply for the change of status using USCIS Form I-539. (Though if you had entered on a B visa for visitors, you would have had to indicate in advance that you’d be looking at schools, and gotten a “prospective student” notation in your visa in order to successfully apply for a change of status.)
But the change of status option is completely closed to people who entered the United States on the VWP. If you submit an I-539, it will be denied.
Your remaining options? The best one is to back to your home country and apply for an M-1 visa through the U.S. consulate there. Don’t try to go to Mexico to get the M-1 visa (assuming that's not your home country): U.S. consulates there won’t accept applications from third-country nationals who entered the U.S. on the VWP.
The U.S. consulate in Canada has no such blanket policy, but is very reluctant to process visa applications from non-Canadians, and might give your application a hard look even if it agrees to review it.
An experienced attorney can assist with the task of figuring out the fastest way for you to apply for an M-1 or other appropriate visa to the United States and help prepare the paperwork and keep your case on track.