Dependent to one of the J-1 categories: student, professor, scholar, short-term scholar, etc.
- To qualify to change from J-2 to J-1,
- you must
- be in good legal standing and
- be a bona fide nonimmigrant
- be in good legal standing and
- you must
- To apply, submit the following documents to International Services for review:
- Completed Form I-539 (Application for Change of Nonimmigrant Status)—Form I-539 may be downloaded here and filled in by using your keyboard before printing or obtained from International Services.
- Copies of your passport pages including your visa, passport number and expiration date, and your picture.
- Departure Record—Form I-94—This small white card is usually stapled to your passport next to your visa.
- Form DS-2019 issued through your sponsoring agency. Sign in the space at the bottom of page one.
- Original financial documentation used to obtain your Form DS-2019—You must provide supported documentation of who will sponsor you and any dependants, how much support will be received and the duration of the support. If you are providing your own support, you must show proof of finances, such as a certified bank statement.
- Money Order or personal check for $300.00 made payable to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services—Cash is not accepted.
- (Optional) Personal statement explaining why the Change of Status (COS) is necessary
- After our document review and copies are made for your records, mail the documents listed above to:
U.S. Department of Homeland Security
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
California Service Center
P.O. Box 10539
Laguna Niguel, CA 92607-1053
- General information for preparing application materials
- It will take from 60-120 days to hear back from the CSC.
- If approved, the CSC will return a new Form I-94 indicating your new status to the address indicated on your Form I-539 application. Make sure that if you move, you have your mail forwarded.
- It is advised that you do not travel outside of the U.S. with a change of status application pending.