Extension of Stay for Visiting Professors and Scholars in J-1 Status

Your permission to stay in the United States ends on the expiration date of your I-94 Departure Record card - unless the card is marked "Duration of Status" or "D/S." In that case, your permission to stay will expire 30 days after the date shown in item #3 of your Form DS-2019 (formerly known as the DS-2019), "Certificate of Eligibility for Exchange Visitor (J-1) Status."

If you need to do an extension, please be sure to complete it prior to the expiration date in item #3 of your Form DS-2019.

Your J-1 Responsible Officer:

Eligibility:

1. You are working toward the objective shown on your most recent Form DS-2019;
2. You are maintaining your status as a J-1 Exchange Visitor;
3. You can demonstrate adequate funding for the period of the proposed extension; and
4. Your extension will not carry you beyond five years in status as a J-1 Visiting Professor or Research Scholar. If you need to stay longer than five years, consult your J-1 Responsible Officer.

Procedures:

1. About two months before your permission to stay expires, contact your J-1 Responsible Officer about an extension. Ask for forms and for instructions on how to proceed.
2. Document a renewal of your affiliation with your institution, and adequate funding, for the period of your extension. If your J-1 Responsible Officer provides no forms for this purpose, obtain a letter of confirmation from your supervisor, and take or send it to your J-1 Responsible Officer.
3. Once you have received your new Form DS-2019 from your J-1 Responsible Officer, you may extend your permission to stay EITHER by leaving the United States and re-entering, OR by following the notification or the application procedure inside the country.

Extending your stay by leaving the United States and re-entering. If you go abroad and have come back into this country using the new Form DS-2019, then your re-entry will extend your permission to stay. However, the "leaving and re-entering" procedure may not work if you travel to Canada, Mexico, or the Caribbean islands for less than 30 days. This is because the USCIS Inspector at the port of entry may hand back your Form DS-2019 intact and unmarked, and refuse to record your re-entry. If that happens to you, you will have to proceed as though you had not gone abroad, and either leave North America and re-enter, or else carry out either the "Notification" or the "Application" procedure outlined below.

If you do leave North America, you will need a valid J-1 visa stamp to re-enter this country (unless you are Canadian). If yours has expired, you will have to apply for a new one at a United States consulate abroad. Besides Form DS-2019 and your passport, and those of your dependents if they will be accompanying you, the Visa Officer may want to see proof of funding that does not come directly from your J-1 sponsor or your school (for example a letter of award or support, a bank statement, documentation of income, etc.). Your dependents will need J-2 visas, and you should be prepared to show proof of marriage to your spouse and parenthood of each child.

Extending your stay without leaving the country. First, fill out and sign the back of the white page of your new Form DS-2019. Then proceed by notification.

Notification You may use this procedure ONLY if your I-94 Departure Record card shows "Duration of Status" or "D/S" instead of a specific expiration date. Take your Form DS-2019 to your J-1 Responsible Officer, who will mail the yellow copy to the United States Information Agency as notification, and return the pink copy to you. That will complete your extension.

After you have extended your stay inside the country, avoid a common mistake if you travel abroad. Do not assume that with an approved extension of stay you can re-enter this country from another continent without an unexpired J-1 visa stamp in your passport (unless you are Canadian). If your J-1 visa stamp has expired, you will have to apply at a consulate for a new one in order to re-enter the United States as a J-1 visiting professor or research scholar.

Caution