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Duration of Status

Your visa expiration date does not determine your permitted length of stay in the United States. Your I-94 arrival record indicates the date by which you must depart the U.S. As an exchange visitor in J-1 status, you were most likely admitted for duration of status (D/S) which means you may remain in the U.S. for the duration of your program as indicated on your DS-2019 as long as you are maintaining your nonimmigrant student status.

• For exchange visitors in valid status, permission to stay in the U.S. ends 30 days from your DS-2019 end date unless you are transferring program sponsors or have a pending change of status application.

Maximum Exchange Visitor Program Participation Limits

Eligibility Requirements for an Extension on Your Scholar Exchange Visitor Program

If you are subject to the two-year home-country physical presence requirement, then you must not have received a U.S. Department of State recommendation for a 212(e) waiver. If you have a 212(e) waiver request currently pending with the U.S. Department of State Waiver Review Division, meaning the U.S. Department of State has not yet issued their recommendation, then it is likely that you will need to update your pending waiver application with the new DS-2019 form that we will issue you. Please contact the DOS Waiver Review Division to determine how you should proceed.  

• Once the U.S. Department of State has issued their recommendation to approve the 212(e) waiver, ISSS is not legally allowed to extend your Exchange Visitor program.

In order to be eligible for a DS-2019 extension:

1. Your extension cannot exceed the exchange visitor program participation limits noted above;
2. You must not have obtained a waiver of the 212(e) two-year home residence requirement;
   • Once an exchange visitor receives a U.S. Department of State recommendation for a 212(e)
     waiver, they are no longer eligible for a J-1 exchange visitor program DS-2019 extension.
   • Consult the ISSS advisor assigned to your department if you have questions.
3. You must be maintaining your status as an exchange visitor;
4. You must currently be working toward the objective(s) shown on your original exchange visitor DS-2019 Request and continue to do so for the extension period;
5. You must demonstrate adequate funding for the period of the proposed extension for yourself, and, if applicable, your dependents in J-2 status;
6. You must have comprehensive medical insurance with evacuation and repatriation coverage that meets the  (for you and any dependents in J-2 status) during your extension period
   • You will submit your insurance information in the Scholar: Insurance Compliance (Extension) e-form included in the DS-2019 Extension e-form request initiated by your department in the MyISSS portal.
7. You must upload a copy of your passport biodata page and curriculum vitae/CV/resume in the Scholar: Exchange Visitor Inofrmation (Extension) e-form.;
8. Your host department will initiate the DS-2019 Extension request in the MyISSS portal. You will receive an email, ISSS: DS-2019 Extension Request E-Forms Required- Take Action, that will provide you access the the e-forms you must submit in order for ISSS to extend your DS-2019.
   • If you do not recieve the email, you can log into your MyISSS portal. Click on Departmental Services on the left navigation, then click on the DS-2019 Extension (Scholar) tile. Within the DS-2019 Extension (Scholar) screen, scroll down and click on the already initiated DS-2019 Extension (Scholar) request (not the Start a New Request link).

Detailed Instructions for submitting a DS-2019 Extension Request (see expandable at bottom of the webpage)